Sempi (my 6yo son) and I have this tradition of sharing our problems and asking each other’s opinion on how to solve it. We do this while we walk to his school. We’ve been doing this since he was 3. Here’s an example from Portland. Me: When I bike to work, I have to wait a long time for the elevator. Sempi (3yo): You should just build a ramp to your 28th floor, so you can just bike all the way up....
Some nights I read a book about Gandhi to Sempi for bedtime. There is an incident in Gandhi’s life when he’s thrown out of a first-class coach in South Africa because he is not white. I told Sempi that it was an injustice and it doesn’t happen anymore. He listened intently and nodded approvingly. The next night I’m reading a comic about superheros and he asks me, “How come everyone in Justice League is white?...
One of the ways we trained Sempi to say “Please” and “Thank you” is by asking him “What do you say?” after he receives a favor from someone. With that context in mind, this conversation happened in the car. Vian: Can I have that monster truck, Sempi? Sempi: Here you go. Vian takes the truck. Sempi being the responsible older brother wants to teach Vian good manners. Sempi: What do you say, Vian?...
It was a cold Sunday morning. Sempi doesn’t want to leave the house. I’m trying to convince him to go out for family brunch. Yoshi is still getting ready. Sempi: I don’t want to go. I want to stay home and play legos. Me: If you want to stay home, that’s fine. I’m going out for brunch. Sempi: Ok. Me: I’m taking Vian with me. Sempi: Ok, you can take Vian and I’ll stay with Amma....
Sempi’s new obsession is playing police. Every chance he gets, he recruits me and Vian to play police. Sempi: Appa, let’s play police. You can be the bad guy and I’ll be police Me: Ok! Vian, what are you going to be? A good guy or a bad guy? Vian: I’m batman. Me: I see, so is batman a good guy or a bad guy? Vian: No appa, I’m batman. Me: Alrighty then....