I always find a visual helps me better appreciate stories, so the following conversations took place between me and the kid on the right:

Yes, the one singing into a karaoke machine with the six-shooter conspicuously positioned in front—well, you can see it. That’s what happens late on New Year’s Eve when a kid has taken down one too many Caprisuns. Funny how this is cute for a four year old, but if I was caught on film singing karaoke while wearing a side (or front) arm after consuming too many mood altering beverages on New Year’s Eve, you’d probably describe it as something other than cute. But that’s not the point of this post. Well, it’s not supposed to be, but I won’t be surprised if it hijacks the original point.

So anyway, this is my first offspring, and he’s not quite four and a half. He’s full of questions and as I explained here and here, an endless supply of stories and wisdom related to Star Wars. He’s never really seen the movies, but this crazy video game follows the story line pretty closely, so I’m repeatedly surprised to hear him tell me something about the white robot turning on his light so Princess Leia could tell that other guy with the "light saver," to (in Leia voice), "Help me…you’re my only help" and such. I’m not kidding – roughly 40 percent of our conversations over the past week or two have been about Luke, Han, Leia, and Chewy. We run into his friends Liam and Burke at the playground and he instantly declares himself Han, delegates Luke’s identity to Liam, and one or both of them decide Burke (who is also a boy) will be Leia, much to their father Pepe’s chagrin. With a little intervention, a compromise is reached and Burke is upgraded to Chewy. But that’s not the point of this either.

The point is to document, as much for my own sake as yours, more of the incomparable perspective this kid injects into my life over and over again. Sometimes I forget this feature is built into my life.

As I mentioned before, there is much discussion these days about God around here. The latest feature in this area has been questions about why God made various things:

Why did God make bugs?
Why did God make fingernails?
Why did God make carrots?
Why did God make rain?
Why did God make boogers?

I can usually come up with a passable answer to most of these, and several of them can be handled with a sort of "circle of life" formula: God made it rain so the grass and trees will grow so the bugs will have a place to live. God made bugs so the birds will have something to eat. And so on. I feel like I’m lying a little when I say good things about carrots, but you do what you have to do to get healthy food in the kid. I’ve officially deferred the boogers question to our friend Laura, who is a second year medical student we occasionally call for unofficial advice to spare ourselves a $25 copay.

Anyway, I went to pick him up from a birthday party tonight, and we made a late trip to Kroger (where, if you aren’t careful, you’ll be told via a clearly marked price tag that a 12-pack of Welch’s grape soda costs $2.50 and then be charged $3.89 at the register.) On our way home, I began to lament to my son that I was very tired from the day. I even listed off for him all the admirable things I’d done today to make me tired.

He listened graciously, sighed, and said, "Yeah, I know Dad. I’ve had a really long day." It was one of those moments where you wonder when he learned to use a fairly grown up, hyperbolic phrase properly. So I asked, "Aiden, what made your day so long?" His answer: "God made it so long, Dad." Impressed, I supplement my question with "I mean why was your day long?" Undeterred he responds, "God made it so long so I’d have lots of time to play with my friends, play with Ella, play Star Wars, go to Hudson’s party. ‘Cause God wants me to have lots of fun, so he made my day really long."

Like I said. Perspective.

Oh, and if you made it this far, as a bonus I offer you low quality video footage (taken with my phone) of the above photo. The still photo is actually a lie insomuch as it hints that Aiden is the most entertaining person in that scene. The real star was rk’s boy Sam, who sang one of the most heartfelt unintelligible songs I’ve ever heard. Enjoy (by right clicking and choosing "save as…")