Monday, March 29, 2010
Thursday, March 18, 2010
The Burden of Knowledge
Right there in the car I was taken back to a day when I was 4 , maybe 5 years-old. I was playing in the room I shared with my sister, Martha, who was probably 3 years-old. We were standing facing each other pretending to be a neighbors knocking on the other's door. She would answer and we would start a conversation in the language of gibberish. We must have been playing that game for weeks as we were getting really good at communicating in our nonsensical language. We thought we were speaking in a foreign language called English. I decided to find out. So I went to ask my mom, who was making our lunch in the kitchen. I remember looking up at her (funny in itself, because now I'm a good 6 inches taller than her) and asking her in my presumably adorable 4 year-old voice, "Mama, what language is English?". While continuing with her work, she answered, "It's the language you are speaking now." I went back to my room and told my sister. I don't think we played that game ever again.

My mom couldn't have known that by simply answering a question a game that gave us so much pleasure would be ruined. She couldn't have known that by answering that question, I would grow up a little bit. If she had, I have no doubt she would have found another way to answer. I'm glad I have that memory. I'm glad I remembered and recognized the similarity when I did. As parents we carry the burden of knowledge, in ways big and small. It's a burden I will carry happily for my children as long as I possibly can.
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