Observations of Insanity

Just One Question...

That's what my five year old said to me today. "Mommy, I have just one question."

Yeah, right.

"Okay," I say, steeling myself.

"Why is it okay for daddy to go hunting and kill a deer, but I get in trouble for pulling the dog's tail?"

Uhhhh... (Of course, I don't say this aloud. If he ever found out that I don't, in fact, have all the answers, the balance of power would shift and something would probably explode.

"Daddy hunts so that we can have meat for the winter," I say - because what I want to say, I can't. (Daddy hunts so that daddy and his friends have an excuse to get away from mommy and HER friends and drink).

"But killing a deer is mean!" He says indignantly.

"So is pulling the dog's tail," I point out.

"Killing is worse than pulling, mom," he says, and actually rolls his eyes at me. When did he start doing THAT?

"Yes, but it's all right to kill things as long as you really need to, for food," I tell him.

"But we don't need to," he says astutely. "We can just go to the store and buy deer." I don't point out that it's been seven years since his father has shot anything other than tree trunks that "looked like a deer at the time."

"Meat is expensive," I say, already growing weary of this conversation.

"So are guns and bullets," he says. "And we shouldn't kill anything. That's mean."

"So is pulling the dog's tail."

"Killing is meaner."

"Deer are not pets. Dogs are."

"So if people ate dogs, it would be all right to pull their tails?"

"No."

"Well then, is it all right to pull the deer's tail?"

"Definately not."

"Mom," he says, rolling his eyes again, "I think the deer would rather we pulled their tails than shot them.

He has a point. I send him to the garage to share his wisdom with his father.