Something Mysterious

Technically, this didn't happen during carpool, but during a playdate. After playing outside on one of the first sunny spring days in months, Walt came inside looking for me.

W: Mandy, Adam and I have found something mysterious growing in your backyard and we need you to come out and tell us what it is. It's green and mysterious.

(Curious myself, I went to check it out.)

Me: Um, boys. This is what you call a weed. Walt, have you never seen this before?

(Seriously, Spicklers! The kid's never seen a weed?!)

Walt: Can you eat it?

Me: No, but feel free to pull it! Pull all of it. Make a soup with it. Make a Star Wars juice with it. But don't eat it. That would be gross.

(I return inside. After a few minutes, Walt returns.)

W: Mandy, um. We have to apologize. We accidentally ate some.

Me: You ate the weeds? Well, what did it taste like? Was it good?

W: It was kind of good.

Me: Please don't eat anymore. It's not very good for you.

W: Okay.

You know, when we lived in California, they would bring in a few hundred goats to clear out all of the overgrown grass on the hills on the campus of the seminary. I didn't know that we could use our kids for that! We discover new benefits to this parenting thing every day!