Navel-gazing
My children have both hit me with some stunning questions this week.
Gabriel: Why doesn't the President like Barack Obama?
Me: Wow, Gabe, that's a big question...
(Anybody care to craft an answer to that in terms an 8-year-old can wrap his head around?)
Lana: Who made all this snow?
Me: God.
Lana: How did God make snow, mommy? How?
Me: (Absolute silence as I search my head for information on precipitation long buried since 8th grade Earth Science)
Me: (finally) Ask your father (I should get some mileage from being married to a guy who TEACHES earth science, right?)
Gabe: Why isn't the Feast of the Epiphany* (this is the day which Roman Catholics and Episcopalians (and a few other Protestant sects) recognize as the day the The Three Wise Men arrived to meet Jesus. Gabe is strangely intrigued with this concept - possibly because I told him that in France it involves CAKE) always on Wednesday?
Me: It's always on January 6, Gabe. Why would that always be a Wednesday?
Gabe: I think Wednesday would be the best day to meet Jesus, that's all.
Me: Hmmm....
* Gabe pronounces this more like "the feast of Fanny" which cracks me up a little bit
Lana: Mommy? You have belly-button?
Me: Yes, I have a belly-button?
Lana: I have a belly-button!
Me: Yes, you have a belly-button, too.
Lana: All people got belly-button?
Me: Yes, all people have belly-buttons.
Lana: Mommy? How come cat got no belly button?
Me: (long silence) Ask your father.
And now I'm left wondering...all mammals MUST have belly buttons, right? Or at least a spot where the umbilical cord was attached. So, dear readers...WHERE IS a cat's belly button???
LM
posted by LawMommy at 9:55 AM
11 Comments:
1. My friend's 4 year old asked me what a lawyer does. I found that question really difficult . . . I said "help put bad guys away." That sounded good enough?
2. Cats definitely don't have belly buttons. I have no idea why. When I dont know the answer, I always consult my friend google or wikipedia.
3. Next time you get a question, go for "I could tell you but I'd have to ground you if I did."
I'm not sure about a cat. However, my dog has a very prominent belly button. For a long time we though he had 3 nipples in one row. However, the vet told us he has an "outie" belly button! I think it is hysterical!!
ok, I had to look up the cat belly button thing. I found this:
"cats are indeed equipped with navels, notwithstanding the fact that they (along with dogs) are born in amnionic sacs. Admittedly, cat belly buttons don't look quite like the human version, being basically an elongated scar, often hidden by hair, located just astern of the rib cage."
So there ya go. (and now I have "I don't got a belly button" by the Veggie Tales in my head, thankyouverymuch!)
I'm stumped by my kids all.the.time. Especially A~ - he asks motor questions and science questions that are way beyond me. I send him to dad or tell him to do his own research!!
Cats and Dogs do have belly buttons.
"Yes, dogs and cats do have belly buttons. If you can convince a dog or cat to lie on their back for a bit, you'll find it in roughly the same area that humans have a belly button. The belly button, or umbilicus, represents the site where the umbilical cord attaches to the fetus during development. The umbilical cord transports blood between the fetus and the placenta. All eutherian or placental mammals have a placenta, and an umbilical cord. In the placenta the fetal circulation releases wastes in exchange for oxygen and nutrients from the mother. After the baby is born, the umbilical cord is usually tied off and cut. The stump attached to the baby falls off within a few days, leaving the belly button behind as the only reminder of life in utero."
I love the questions I get....Jay once asked his dad "How far can we see through the sky?" His dad said 8 miles. When he told me this story I laughed and said "But at night, we can see all the stars in our galaxy and that's certainly past 8 miles!"
Yes, all mammals have belly buttons. An amimal's usually isn't a "hole" like ours is. You can find a cat's belly button under all the fur in the bottom third or so of the abdomen. OK, now I'm starting to sound a little strange, sorry. (I'm not a belly button guru, just a biologist!)I worked in a vet clinic in college, too..
I've wondered for a long time about the whole cat/dog belly button issue, so I'm glad to see some people share the answer. I just never cared enough to spend that much time digging through all of my cats' and dogs' belly hair. Heave knows I spend enough time vacuuming it all up, no need to deal with it when I don't have to.
I think the feline belly button issue has been fully covered, so I'm going to propose an answer to the first question: "Because he's an deservedly-insecure moron, sweetie." (And "moron" is my sanitized choice for the younger audience.)
Kids come up with the BEST questions!!
I'm so glad I read these comments and learned something I didn't even know I didn't know.
Here's what I would do for #1:
(Point of reference: I've got two kids, ages 9 and 11. We live in a politically conservative town, and I am a liberal. Insert your own view point where necessary in my example.)
"There are these two main sides in the government. And, pretty often, people on each of those sides disagree with each other. Sometimes it gets pretty extreme, and they even call each other names. They shouldn't call names, of course, but they sometimes do.
"So, the President probably doesn't agree with Sen. Obama on much because they are on different sides. We're on the same side as Sen. Obama - they call us Democrats (the other side is Republican). So I usually agree with people on things like: (that war is a really bad thing, that people in our country ought to take care of people who have less, etc.)
(Then, I try to inoculate my kids against popular opinion with which I disagree. I can give you more examples - like my position on GLB issues and how I talk to my kids about that - but let's start with Iraq.)
"When you're at school, you may hear people talk about stuff like the war in Iraq. And, that's a really complicated issue. But what I think is that our country started that war for the wrong reasons.
"So I really think we shouldn't be there in the first place. But you know that your friend's dad went to fight in that war, so I'm pretty cautious about how I say my opinions. I don't want to hurt people's feelings or make them think that I don't support the people like your friend's dad.
"You'll here a lot of things at school and with other people in our extended family that will be pretty different from what I believe. Sometimes I tell them my opinions, and sometimes it's not worth an argument. They aren't going to change my mind, and I'm not going to change theirs.
"At school, you can have your own opinions, but it's not always helpful to try to convince others that you're right." (Important to insert this because one of my kids can state things really strongly and most of her teachers are probably on the other side of the aisle.)
That's my general approach. I've been weaving in my political agenda gently since my kids were born.
I have pictures of the first one watching her first presidential debate at 3 wk old. I also have pictures of each of them going with me to vote for the first time. Oldest was 5 wk old when we reelected Clinton. I talked her through the whole ballot (Yes, she was 5 wk old. You can never start too early. ;-))
Hope there's something useful for you here.
Leah
Sorry, I realize that comment was hugely long! Leah
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