Wisdom!

We went on an adventure today. All four of us on our bikes, Nina scoring a lift with me. We went in search of water buffalo and actually found about 15 so we were pretty pleased with ourselves.

Emily kept falling behind, and whenever this happened she'd shout and scream "wait wait"... which of course we'd do. After a while she informed me that from now on she would ring her pink bell when she wanted us to wait.

We proceeded. I heard the bell ringing and diligently stopped to wait, she pedalled up and we all had a drink of water. Then she rang her bell again. "When I ring my bell it means we must go," she said.

I asked her - "if you ring your bell to stop and wait, and ring your bell to go, then how will I know what the ringing bell means?"

Jonty responded very patiently, "Well Mom, I think that if Emily is behind us and she rings her bell it means that we must wait, but if she is next to us or in front of us we should go." (I was asking for it!)

Later Jonty asked me why I am so bossy. I replied its because I am a mom, moms are always bossy. He chewed on this for a bit and then said, "No, you are bossier than a mom should be."

Jonty and Emily were invited to play at a friend's house, about 5 houses down this afternoon. I asked Jonty if he and Emily would like to go. He said no.... because if its just the two of them, he will have to look after Emily. He will have to help her cross the road, he will have to say stop and she won't stop, he will have to stop her from climbing up things, he will have to tell her to ride her bike on the side of the road and she won't listen, he will have to watch her, he will have to help her if her bike falls over, he will have to get water for her if she's thirsty, etc etc - a whole litany of all the things he'll have to do.

At the end of it all he says: "Mom I am only ONE person and Emily is TWO persons."

I know Jonty, I know! I am only ONE person, and you children are at least six persons!!!