October 13, 2008
Yosemite
An hour or two ago my 3 year old and I were walking down a dark and narrow road in Yosemite National Park at night under an almost full moon.
him: Dad?
me: Yes.
him: Is this a garden or a park or a forest?
me: It's a forest, but it's also a National Park.
(silence)
him: It took a very very long time to plant all these trees. The trees are big and old.
(silence)
him: Wow.
(silence)
him: When we sleep in the forest will bears come and try to eat us?
me: No.
him: If we see a bear will you hold me very very tight.
me: Yes.
(silence)
him: This is a very very big park. In Brooklyn the parks are very small.
me: Yes indeed.
him: And there are no bears in Brooklyn.
me: No. Not any more.
him: That's sad.
(silence)
him: Can I plant a tree when we go home? Maybe a lot of them?
me: Let's plant lots of them
to this site
10/13/08 10:09 AM
Stefan said...
;))
10/13/08 10:34 AM
Adina said...
I'd find it hard to believe children at this age can have thoughts that are so ecologically (or politically) aware, unless my parents would have kept repeating a story to me, of when me and my brother were very very young. We were hiking to a spring in the mountains, that would allegedly make wishes come true, so I supposedly wished for peace in the world and my brother wanted to be able to fly. We're told he kept running and trying to, on the way down the mountain.
10/13/08 12:11 PM
rob said...
Wow.
10/13/08 10:35 PM
Anonymous said...
I love the way children categorize things (garden? park? forest?). Your son being a city kid obviously is amazed by the natural. My son being a country boy is amazed by the unnatural. We went to Chicago recently and looking at a skyscraper he marvelled at how a mountain could have windows....
10/14/08 02:23 PM
Hannah said...
plant, baby, plant!
10/16/08 02:16 PM
Milena said...
I'm sure you've noticed that you've already 'planted' more than trees in the mind of your little boy. May those roots that have been nurtured continue to take hold and grow.
10/30/08 03:11 PM
joanna goddard said...
so sweet. "you will hold me very very tight" aww.