The Queen of Random Association

I'm never quite sure what's going through Madeleine's head at any given moment.  She certainly seems to have random associations.  Even when doing a very directed activity, such as reciting her prayer at night. 

I taught both girls a simple little prayer when they were toddlers; something easy to remember and recite and not nearly as complicated as something like the "Our Father."  The basic little prayer goes like this: "Thank you God, for making me, thank you for my family, Amen."  I have also let the girls know they are free and open to pray in any way they want, whether it be reciting the prayer verbatim, adding to the prayer, or coming up with a prayer entirely of their own.  While Madeleine very frequently just recites verbatim, she will occasionally add her own touches ("Thank you, God, for making rainbows," for instance, on an evening when she was in tears over wanting her own rainbow light in her room.) 

The other night's prayer took the cake, however, in terms of random things to be thankful for.

ME: Madeleine, can you say your prayer?
MADELEINE: (folding her hands) Thank you, God, for doorways that lead into our rooms, thank you God for birds that FLY, thank you for EVERYTHING!

She could have made it a whole lot shorter by just starting off with "Thank you for everything," because, surely, "everything" would also encompass things like doorways that lead into our rooms and birds that fly.  However, I applaud her originality.  And, I mean, I guess we SHOULD be thankful for doorways that lead into our rooms.  I certainly wouldn't want to climb through a window every time I wanted to get into my room.  Or, worse yet, just sit on the other side of a solid wall with no way to actually get INTO the room.

Julia is definitely no stranger to totally random comments, nor is she unfamiliar with the world of creative make-believe.  However, she seems to take it as her duty to set the record straight when Madeleine is spouting nonsense, often unwilling to go along for the ride.  For instance, this morning the girls had the following exchange:

MADELEINE: Julia?  Remember the other day, when I was giving birth to a baby?
JULIA: (disdainfully) WHAT other day?
MADELEINE: The other DAY!
JULIA: When.  What other day, Madeleine?
MADELEINE: The other DAY!  When I had a baby in my TUMMY!
JULIA: When.  When, Madeleine.  When did you have a baby in your tummy?
ME: Julia, she has no concept of time.  She says "the other day" for everything that happened in the past, just like you used to say "yesterday."  She can't tell you exactly when.
JULIA: (indignant) But MOM!  She's saying the other day she GAVE BIRTH TO A BABY!
ME: Julia, come on, you know she's not for real.
MADELEINE: (catching my drift) Juliaaa, just IGNORE me!


And then there was this conversation they had just a few minutes ago, while eating snack at the dining room table:

MADELEINE: Julia, what are BEARDS called?
JULIA: Beards.
MADELEINE: (dissatisfied with the answer given) Mom?  What are BEARDS called?
ME: Beards.

I tried to get her to elaborate on her interest in what beards are called.

ME: Madeleine, why are you asking what beards are called?
MADELEINE: Because!
ME: What is it you want to know about beards?
MADELEINE: Because!  I just REALLY wanna know what they're REALLY called.
ME: Oh.  Are you thinking they're called something else besides "beards?"
MADELEINE: Yeah!  They're called BEARDOS.  That's what name they're called, TOO!

Now, not to state the obvious, but let me point out that BEARDO happens to rhyme with WEIRDO.  And with that, I will end my post.