Cherishing that Childish Chatter

I've been doing a little surfing in the blogosphere lately and have come across several new fun/interesting blogs. Today, I was checking out the archives at BooMama and came across this post. Except for the first part about not wanting to have kids, I could relate to the entire thing--from thinking of those four days in the hospital as the sweetest of my life, to having a pretty easygoing baby, to wanting to pull my hair out when he was two and a half and talking non-stop--and why is it always worse in the car?

For Drew, it was the questions--or, more precisely, the questions with no answers--that drove me crazy:

Him: "Where is that guy going?" (referring to a man seen walking on the sidewalk as we drive down main street)
Me: "I don't know."
Him: "What's his name? (still referring to said man)
Me: "I don't know."
Him: "But where's he going?"
Me: (we've been here already!) "I don't know."
Him: "Do you think he's going to the toy store?"
Me: (I highly doubt it.) "Maybe."
Him: "Can WE go to the toy store?
Me: (at last, one I can answer!) "No, not today."
Him: "But why?"
Me: "We need to go to Fareway."
Him: "Maybe he's going to Fareway."
Me: (big sigh) "Maybe, Drew...maybe."

Drew, at four, is still a talker and, being a very curious child, is still an asker of many questions. But now, for the most part I can answer them. Or refer him to his father. We do still get caught up in some doozies though. About a month ago this was our cartime conversation:

Him: "Mom, why is the furniture store not there anymore?"
Me: "Because it moved to a new building."
Him: "Why?"
Me: "Because they needed more space."
Him: "Why?"
Me: "Because they wanted to be able to have more furniture."
Him: "Why?"
Me: "So they can sell more furniture."
Him: "Why?"
Me: "So they can make more money."
Him: "Why?"
Me: "I guess so they can buy more stuff."
Him: "Why?"
Me: "Well, that's a good question."

Still somewhat exhausting,yes, but at least a little more thought-provoking.

And more often than not, our conversations now are funny, interesting and engaging. This week our car talks have ranged from a discussion of sin and why Jesus had to die on the cross to Drew's plan for what kind of house he'll live in when he's an adult, how many kids he'll have and what their names will be (wood house when he has babies, then a brick house when they get older; two kids; a girl named Britta and a boy named Naomi--"not Naomi Elizabeth, that's a girl's name, just Naomi"). Now that's good stuff.

And if he's this interesting at four, I can't imagine the great dialogue we'll have at 8 and 12 and 18. Kind of makes all that obnoxious chattering worth it, doesn't it?!