By Rick Kaempfer
My five year old son Sean is about to “graduate” from pre-school and move on to the big bad world of kindergarten. We talked about that on the way home from school the other day.
Dad: Now that you’re going to start kindergarten in a few months, it won’t be long before you have to get a job. Have you thought about you want to be when you grow up?
Sean: Yeah. I’m going to be a policeman.
Dad: Really? Why?
Sean: Because I want to get rich.
Dad: Why do you think policemen get rich?
Sean: Every time somebody goes too fast in their cars, they make people pay money. And when they get the bad guys, they can take all of the bad guys money. Some bad guys have lots of money.
Dad: But the policemen don’t get to keep that money.
Sean: They don’t?
Dad: No. They have to turn it in to their bosses.
Sean: Oh.
Dad: Still want to be a policeman?
Sean: No. I want to be the policeman’s boss.
Dad: But he doesn’t get to keep the money either. He has to turn it in to the government.
Sean: Oh.
Dad: Still want to be a policeman’s boss?
Sean: No. I want to be a fireman.
Dad: Why?
Sean: Because they get the biggest trucks with the loudest sirens.
Dad: And they fight fires.
Sean: What do you mean?
Dad: They put on their fire suits and walk right into the fires, trying to put them out with their fire hoses.
Sean: Right into the fires?
Dad: Yup. Still want to be a fireman?
Sean: No.
Dad: So what do you want to be?
Sean: A mom.
Dad: Why?
Sean: Because then I can do whatever I want.
Dad: But boys can’t be moms.
Sean: Yuh huh. There was a boy mom on TV. He had a baby in his tummy.
(Long silence)
Dad: Does Oma (my mom) watch Oprah when you’re over there?
Sean: Uh huh.
Dad: Remind me to talk to her about that.
Sean: Don’t forget Dad, she’s your mom. She can do whatever she wants.
