Explanations, explanations

Littleboy 1 is at an interesting stage; he has begun to question everything, and no longer accepts, as he would have done even a few months ago, basic explanations of what is what in the world.

Last night, for example, he badly wanted to watch a favourite TV show and was not impressed when told it was bedtime at 8pm. I relented and said that I could record it for him and he could watch it tomorrow.

"Record? What's record?" I suppose I haven't said this to him recently, because he either watches things on DVD, just as and when they are on, or sometimes we pause the programme and watch it half an hour later.

We try to explain that the programme would be stored on the DVR box. Like a DVD, but you cannot actually see it.

"Yes, but HOW?"

I look desperately at The Doctor, who tried to explain that the DVR was like a computer, and you could look at things later. (At this point I perhaps unhelpfully chipped in with 'yes, and you're very lucky, because when Mummy and Daddy were your age we just had to watch what was on at the time!'. Which means I must be getting old).

Anyway Littleboy1 was very suspicious and clearly did not believe that this would work. He was very pleased to discover, this afternoon, that it does, but I foresee many, many more technology-related questions......

On the way back from school we had another conversation. A friend of his - let's call him Jimmy - is coming round for a playdate this afternoon, and his Nanny is bringing him. Last time Littleboy1 went to Jimmy's house and was picked up by the Nanny, who also cooked their supper.

Round here nannies are often known as babysitters, so in the car on the way back from preschool I told Littleboy1 that Jimmy's babysitter would be bringing him round at 3. "Babysitter? Babysitter? he said incredulously.

"Yes, the one who took you in the car last time and made you supper. I can't now remember what you had....was it pizza?"

"Pasta,"he replies, wearily. "But Mummy, that was not a babysitter. That was Jimmy's Mummy."

"Er, no, it wasn't. That was his babysitter."

"No, it was his MUMMY." (Littleboy 2 at this stage helpfully chips in: "yes it was MUMMY. I see her in da CAR." We had indeed watched his elder brother drive off, Littleboy2 very intrigued by the whole episode as these type of playdates are a relatively new thing).

"No darling. His Mummy was not there."

"But WHY is his Mummy not there? Where is she?" (he sounds outraged).

"Well....because I think she was probably at work."

"At WORK?" (he splutters).

I take a deep breath. Is now really the time to enter the murky waters of stay at home versus working mothers, or debate inequality at work and the glass ceiling? I certainly don't want him to think that Mummies who are out at work are in any way doing the wrong thing. And I don't want him saying anything to Jimmy about his babysitter......

I explain to him that some Mummies and Daddies go to work and others stay at home with their children. I tell him that I am a Mummy who can do work at home, and that sometimes when I am on the 'pooter, I am working. (Sometimes here being the operative word, these days.....). I add that some other children's Mummies might go to work in an office, and then they might be looked after by babysitters.

"Oh".....

There is a silence. And then, accusingly: "So, Mummy, why don't YOU go to an office? Then WE could have a babysitter too!"

Well I guess that was inevitable, really......