Life with a 3-year-old...at least, life with MY 3-year-old:
It was Trash Day on Wednesday, and we are discussing, naturally, the garbage trucks. For those unfamiliar with Waste Management trucks, they drive along with a Dumpster near the ground. The garbage men (sanitation engineers?) toss the contents of trash cans into the Dumpster. Every so often, when the Dumpster is full, they dump it into the back of the truck. It seems to me to be a very efficient method, and the trash men don't have to work so hard dumping the trash cans up into the back of the trucks. For a three-year-old boy, this is all very exciting. (I admit that it can even be exciting for 28-year-old woman, but only privately.)
Our conversation on the way to school on Wednesday:
Niv: Why is the Dumpster down?
Me: So it will be easier for the trash men to dump the trash into it. Then when it gets full, they can dump it into the back of the truck.
Niv: Why does it need to get full?
Me: It gets full because they keep putting trash in it.
Niv: But why does it need to get full?
Me: It's like your shirt drawer. If you keep putting shirts in it, eventually it gets full. They keep putting trash in it, so eventually the Dumpster will fill up, and then they need to dump it out.
Niv: Why do they need to dump it?
Me: Because if they didn't, the trash would overflow, and we wouldn't want that.
Niv: Why wouldn't we want that?
Me: Think about it, Niv. Why wouldn't we want the trash to overflow?
Niv: No! Tell me!
Me: If the Dumpster gets full and they put more trash, where will the trash go?
Niv: No, TELL ME!
Me: Use your imagination. Think about where the trash would go. It's like when you fill up a cup of water and you keep filling it up, and then the water overflows. Where would the trash end up if the Dumpster got full and they put more trash in it?
Niv: NO!! TELL ME!!!
Me: (Sigh.) If the trash overflowed, it would fall on the street and make a mess.
I waited a full minute for the "Why would it make a mess?" that I was sure would come, but thankfully he moved on at that point.
Our conversation on the way to school on Wednesday:
Niv: Why is the Dumpster down?
Me: So it will be easier for the trash men to dump the trash into it. Then when it gets full, they can dump it into the back of the truck.
Niv: Why does it need to get full?
Me: It gets full because they keep putting trash in it.
Niv: But why does it need to get full?
Me: It's like your shirt drawer. If you keep putting shirts in it, eventually it gets full. They keep putting trash in it, so eventually the Dumpster will fill up, and then they need to dump it out.
Niv: Why do they need to dump it?
Me: Because if they didn't, the trash would overflow, and we wouldn't want that.
Niv: Why wouldn't we want that?
Me: Think about it, Niv. Why wouldn't we want the trash to overflow?
Niv: No! Tell me!
Me: If the Dumpster gets full and they put more trash, where will the trash go?
Niv: No, TELL ME!
Me: Use your imagination. Think about where the trash would go. It's like when you fill up a cup of water and you keep filling it up, and then the water overflows. Where would the trash end up if the Dumpster got full and they put more trash in it?
Niv: NO!! TELL ME!!!
Me: (Sigh.) If the trash overflowed, it would fall on the street and make a mess.
I waited a full minute for the "Why would it make a mess?" that I was sure would come, but thankfully he moved on at that point.