Segue

In conversation, Clayton is notorious for responding to questions with completely random and irrelevant answers. I can never tell if he really doesn't hear me or if he is just utterly bored and doesn't think it worth his while to give a thoughtful and appropriate answer. So tonight while he was getting ready for bed (okay, really he was lying on the floor in his undies, balling up his pajamas and catapulting them into the air with his feet. I could tell he was aiming for his face because every time they heaped down on his face, as opposed to the floor or his stomach, I heard him say "Yes!" under his breath.)
Anyway, we were talking about his day at preschool. He mentioned earlier that they listened to some Spanish music and I asked him about that. He rolled onto his side with his head resting on his pajamas and said, "Can I watch The Little Mermaid tomorrow?"
Grrrrrr.
I almost lectured him about not listening but instead asked a different question:
"What made you think about The Little Mermaid?"
His answer was an epiphany:
"You asked me about listening to music at school today which made me think of my ears. So I put my ear on my twisted pajamas and it felt like a seashell. Then I remembered that book about the bear who listens to the ocean in a seashell. The ocean reminded me of mermaids and that's how I thought about the movie, The Little Mermaid."
WOW! I'm stunned. All my lecturing. . . I still think he really doesn't listen sometimes but from now on I won't think that nearly as often. And as far as good conversations go, I learned they have as much to do with thoughtful and appropriate questions as they do with thoughtful and appropriate answers. I love you, Clayton!