
Then She Showed Me Her Drawing… ๐
One November afternoon when my daughter was in kindergarten, I picked her up after school.
She bobbed out to the car and crawled into the back seat. โWhat did you do today?โ I asked.
She couldnโt wait to tell me. โWe learned that boys are different from girls!โ she chirped. Looking into the rearview mirror, I could just see the top of her head.
โMy teacher told us that boys have a thing and girls donโt,โ she added.
โWell, yes they doโฆโ I said cautiously. I couldnโt think of anything else to say, so we were quiet for a moment. Then she piped up again.
โThatโs how girls know that boys are boys,โ she said. โThey see that thing that hangs down and they know that he is a boy.โ I mentally calculated the distance home. Our five-minute commute already felt like an hour.
โDid you know that when the boys see a girl they puff up?โ she asked. My palms were beginning to sweat.
โUmโฆwellโฆโ I was still searching for something new to say, to change the subject when she asked, โWhy do the girls like the boys to have those things?โ
Well, I didnโt know what to say. I mean, what woman hasnโt asked herself that question at least once? โOh, wellโฆumโฆโ I stammered.
She didnโt wait for my answer. She had her own. โItโs โcause it moves when they walk and then the girls see that and thatโs when they know they are boys and thatโs when they like them. Then the boy sees the girl and he puffs up, and then the girl knows he likes her, too. And then they get married. And then they get cooked.โ
That last part confused me a bit, but on the whole, I thought she had a pretty good grasp on things. As soon as we got home and I pulled into the garage, she hopped out of the car, fishing something out of her school bag.
โI drew a picture,โ she said. โDo you want to see?โ I wasnโt sure I did, but I looked at it anyway. I had to sit down.
There, all puffed up so to speak, looking mighty attractive for the ladies, was a crayon drawing of a great big Tom Turkey. His snood, the thing that hangs down over his beak, the thing that female turkeys find so irresistible, was magnificent. His tail feathers were standing tall and proud. She was a little offended that I laughed so hard at her drawing, and I laughed until I cried. But when I told her I loved it โฆ and I did โฆ she got over her pique.
That was the end of that, for her anyway. But Iโm not so lucky. Every year I remember that conversation. And to be honest, I havenโt looked at a turkey, or a man, the same way since.
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Two babies were sitting in their cribs, when one baby shouted to the other:
โAre you a little girl or a little boy?โ
โI donโt know,โ replied the other baby giggling.
โWhat do you mean, you donโt know?โ said the first baby.
โI mean I donโt know how to tell the difference,โ was the reply.
โWell, I do,โ said the first baby chuckling, โIโll climb into your crib and find out.โ
He carefully got himself into the other babyโs crib, then quickly disappeared in to the blankets. After a couple of minutes, he resurfaced with a big smile on his face. โYouโre a little girl, and Iโm a little boy,โ he said proudly.
โYouโre ever so clever,โ said the baby girl, โbut how can you tell?โ
โItโs quite easy really,โ replied the baby boy, โyouโve got pink socks and Iโve got blue ones.โ














