The Three Year Old's Mind...

That's a loaded topic.

My son varies from humoring me to making me feel guilty just by sharing his perceptions of things.

He asked my husband over and over in different ways at Mass why Joseph and Mary were Jesus' mommy and daddy and why he was born in a manger.  My husband's response- "Because God wanted it that way."  That was a final word that didn't get questioned, I wish I could use that on his many, "But Why's"

After Mass, as we were sitting in the living room after my son had put the baby Jesus in all the nativity scenes, he started playing with his Fisher Price Nativity Scene.  Oblivious to us, he started doing dialogue that we tried to follow along.  At one point, the Virgin Mary was on top of the Manger, in the spot where the Angel was supposed to be.  My son, pretending to be Baby Jesus, (yes, this is sacrilegious, but take it with the mind of a three year old) was waahing and crying, "Mommy, please come down,"  apparently Mary was saying, "I want to sing and be an angel".  Baby Jesus informed Mary several times that she was not an angel, she was a mommy and she needed to stop singing and get down and be with him.  A little later, as the shepherds, Three Kings and Holy Family all crowded around to see the Baby Jesus, Baby Jesus asked them all to leave because he needed to be alone...  Historically inaccurate, but still a cute scene and if playing this scene makes my son realize that Jesus came down to Earth to be one of us, mission accomplished.

Now for the guilty part.... I periodically multitask to the detriment of getting things done (and to letting the dog back in).  This doesn't work well with a dog who doesn't bark.  While it's wonderful that I don't have an obnoxious, barking dog, sometimes I wished he barked as a form of self-preservation.  Over a month ago I left Dewey in the rain during the afternoon, got distracted and moved onto something else.  My husband came home, he eventually asked, "Where's Dewey?"  I realized I had left him outside and at this time, it was dark.  My husband asked, "Why did you leave Dewey outside in the dark?"  Apparently over a month later it left an impression on my son since he asked, "Why did you leave Dewey outside in the rain in the dark?"  I was adequately guilted again and my husband defended me with, "sometimes people get busy and they forgot things, but don't worry, mommy won't leave you outside in the dark with the lights out."