Brain Spill

When Sempi and I go on walks, we occasionally discuss something we both find interesting. 

Today during our walk today, I told Sempi memory is a tricky thing. If we have to remember a sequence of numbers some of them are really easy but others are hard. 

For example, we can easily remember 1,2,3,4,5,6,7. We can also remember 7,6,5,4,3,2,1 but it is quite hard for us to remember a random sequence like 3,4,2,5,1,7,6. For a computer remembering 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 takes the same effort as remember a random sequence like 3,4,2,5,1,7,6.

His response was, if you write down the numbers on a paper, you won't have to remember them at all. That's what the computers do. They write them down in a file so they can retrieve it later. That's why it is the same effort for them to remember a random sequence as well as a regular sequence. 

I thought that was a pretty clever analogy. 

Sempi declared that he found a word that rhymes with Orange, the color Orange. He thought they had different spelling, after I corrected him the following conversation ensued.

Me: The color orange and the fruit orange have the same spelling. The meaning differs based on the context. For example, when you say my car is orange it means the car's color is orange, it doesn't mean the car is a fruit.

Sempi: Oooh! You can say that my car is related to orange, because a car can be a lemon.

Previously

I am kind of a celebrity at home for making really bad dad jokes. 

Me: What does Darth Vader have for breakfast? 

Kids: Um. What?

Me: Dark Toast!

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Sempi (7yo) decided that he's going to try his hand. 

Sempi: Why does Darth Baker make cookies in space?

Me: Um. Why? 

Sempi: Because they go well with the Milky Way. 

I'm impressed by his ability to make up a joke on the spot. 

I'm playing with Vian and Sempi. Vian comes at me swinging a plastic sword. I stop it with my hand and hold onto it, to prevent further assault.

Vian: Appa is the strongest in the family.

Sempi: No, Amma is the strongest.

Vian: But Appa is bigger.

Sempi: He is bigger but Amma has more muscles. So she's stronger.

I've got nothing to say, that's just the truth.

Vian (3yo) is in the bathtub and I'm trying to get him to come out. Sempi (7yo) is already out and changing his clothes. I am losing my patience with Vian and he is losing his patience with this toy that he's trying balance on the rim of the bathtub.

After pleading with him for a while, I lost my patience and stormed out and turned off one of the lights in the bathroom. Although this didn't plunge the bathroom in darkness, this did darken the room just enough to cause Vian to yell and scream. Suddenly who comes running but Sempi. He asked in a compassionate tone "Vian are you ok? Is there anything I can do to help you?".

Clearly ashamed by my actions, I went back to the bathroom and got Vian out of the bathtub. I told Sempi that I'm proud of his actions and I wish I could learn from him. Sempi said in a serious voice, I could teach you. Here's his teaching:

Sometimes when things don't go according to your plan, you'll be tempted to do something bad to hurt the other person. But the way to control that is to remember that you should always treat others how you want to be treated.

He said the best way to practice this is to go to someplace new that I've never been to. In a new place, things won't go exactly as planned and I'll find myself often frustrated or angry. That's when I could practice being nice and not mean to everyone. He offered to go with me, so he can be there to support me.

I am speechless. My son is awesome!