College

A couple of questions from Edith this week:

"When will I be old enough to drive?"

and

"How do you turn into a college student?"

I explained to her about college, the age at which a person usually goes and how you figure out which one you're going to. She wanted to know if people live at college, and I said they often do. Afraid that she might find the idea of leaving home disturbing, I then said that we would probably always live near a college and so it might be possible for her to go to college near home and continue to live with us, if she wanted to. But she said she thought living at college sounded like fun. She was a silent for a bit and then asked how people eat at college. "Because I bet they don't have refrigerators," she mused. I told her some actually do have little refrigerators in their room, like the refrigerator in the office at church, for Reverend Jana's snacks. But that for the most part, the kids who live at college eat at places like Forbes, the dining hall we frequent with the girls about once a week for dinner and that Edith considers a big treat. (There's always ice cream available for dessert!)

The next day Edith apparently relayed all this information to a woman at church. She was participating in a private Take Our Daughters to Work Day that Tom had agreed to, and since the United Methodist Women were setting up for the biannual thrift sale at church, Edith had great fun running through the rooms looking at the toys and children's gear and playing with the son of the sale organizer.

It was the sale organizer whom she apparently told that she had come to work with Daddy because sometimes she just needs a break from school. "I appreciate the opportunity to come to work with my dad," she reportedly said. "I could go with Mama, but I prefer to come with Daddy. Mama teaches college students..." and then she explained how college works. The sale organizer meanwhile was stuck on "appreciate the opportunity" and "prefer," which she said she was surprised to hear coming from a three year old.

Edith has been surprising us with a number of such turns of phrase/politenesses in the last few days. On the way to her day at work with Daddy, Tom was telling her about the things she would need to do to keep herself busy at various times during the day while he worked. He mentioned that he needed to take her over to the seminary library for awhile, too, and that the seminary doesn't have children's books.

"All right, Dad," she said, "I can handle that."

Usually when she wants something she want it NOW, no matter what the adults are doing. So I almost keeled over two nights ago when she came in to where I was nursing Alice and said, "Mama, if you can manage it, I would like it if you could come into my room. That would be great."

As for coming into rooms, we all stopped by the thrift sale together the first night they were setting up, and after she had made the first pass through, Edith came running back to get me at the entrance, announcing, "Mama, you have to come see! Such wonders!"

***

For my part, what I learned about college this week is that it takes a heck of a lot longer to write a college lecture than one might imagine.

Especially if a person thinks she can do it while at home with her infant for the day.

And that if the infant absorbs too many of the daylight hours, she may find that a thirty-three-year-old body doesn't take to the All Nighter as readily as the nineteen-year-old body.

And that if the thirty three year old pulls an all nighter, her eyes may be too bloodshot to get in the contacts the next morning.

And that if she can't get in the contacts she'll have to wear her glasses...the ones that are four or five years out of date, because grad student vision insurance doesn't cover glasses.

And that if she's going to wear the out-of-date glasses, she better print out her lecture in a large font.

And no matter what, be sure to wear her nursing pads.

Because she ain't no spring chicken anymore.