This morning I was looking through my six-year-old son’s backpack and found his journal from summer school. I was struck by one of the entries.
The topic posed by his teacher was: If I were president, my new rules would be. This was his response:
1. No sadnis (sadness)
2. No pets
3. No polushun (pollution)
Ok – I’m right there with him on #1 and #3, but what’s up with #2, no pets? I asked him and he said that it was so dogs wouldn’t bark and wake you up. I just smiled and shook my head at that one. Yeah – our dog, Jake, can bark with the best of ’em. But I don’t think my son really meant that one – six-year-olds tend to be a bit short sighted. We all still love Jakie dearly.
In fact, my son’s favorite book these days is Smartypants (Pete In School) about a dog who eats everything in the school – including an encyclopedia, rendering him superintelligent and able to speak. Silly dogs are something we know a lot about.