Tough questions

Setting: dinner table

Xander had a particularly interesting line of questioning for the dinner table conversation tonight.  Curtis was gone, so I was stuck answering all the questions by myself.  It went something like this...

X: Mom, where do carrots come from?
M: From the ground...they are plants.
X: Oh!  They are?!?!  (he was thoroughly amazed by this fact)

X: Cool!  Where do beans come from?
M: They are plants too.
X: Oh!  Cool!

X: But where does steak come from?
M: Cows.
X: But what part of the cow makes steak?
M: Cows ARE the steak.
X: Oh.  But why?
M: sigh...When cows get old, we kill them and cut them into little pieces like THIS! stabbing my steak with my fork

~long silence~

X: Oh. Okay.
M: Do you like steak?
X: Yeah.  (as takes the last bite of his third helping)

X: We're big kids.  We need to have another little baby.
M: No, we're not going to have another baby.
X: But, why not?
M: Because there is no baby in my tummy.
X: Oh.  But mom, where do babies come from?
M: deep breath Babies grow in mommies' tummies.
X: Mom, grow a baby!
M: No I'm not going to grow a baby.
X:  Why not?
M: Well for starters I need daddy here.
X: Why?
M: Daddy has to plant the seed.  Mommies can't make babies without daddies.
X: Oh.  Okay.  But I think I will help daddy plant the seed when he gets home.
M: NOOOO WAY!  You are too little.  You can't!
X: Why not?
M: You have to be married before you do any of that!!!

Moral of the story:  4-year olds ask a lot of tough questions.  And mommies get tired of answering tough questions all day.  So mommy has gotten direct with her answers in hopes of ending the line of questioning.  Too much information for a 4-year old?  Maybe...but don't judge me until you've spent an hour with this kid.  He never shuts up!