We live in a mid-sized Ontario town and were driving through the countryside one day. From the backseat our 7-year-old daughter said, “Dad, please don’t ever make us live in the country.” Surprised, I asked why. “You’re spread out from your friends, they can’t just walk over, and it often stinks,” she said. Having grown up in the country, I told her about the friendships I had with neighbors and then asked, “Is there anything positive you can think of about living in the country?” Without skipping a beat she answered, “Well, I’m positive it stinks a lot.”
—Daryl DeKlerk
We were taking our visiting 3-year-old grandson for rides around town in our Kia. But because he enjoys our SUV so much, we decided to take him for a ride in our Jeep too. As we were approaching the stop sign at the end of the street, Nathan asked, “Grandpa, does this SUV stop at stop signs, or does it keep going like the Kia does?”
—Joyce Steen
I t was a hot summer day, and my husband and I had our 5-year-old grandson over. My husband had his shirt off, and my grandson told me that he had a secret to tell me. So he whispered in my ear, “Why does Grandpa have fur underneath his arms?” I told him to ask Grandpa.
—Karen VanMeeteren
The minister stopped to talk about the baptism of baby Eli. Three-year-old Noah later reported to his grandparents, “Jesus was here to talk about advertising Eli.”
—Marion Sandfort
Years ago my children would make a dash from the schoolyard for the van, hoping to ride home in the prized front seat. One particular spring afternoon my middle child won the dash but was disappointed when he swung open the door to see the seat occupied by a stone Dutch girl garden ornament. (My last stop before picking up the kids had been to a garden center, where I picked up the statue to perch on the rock edge of our pond. To prevent the heavy object from becoming a projectile if I had to brake hard, I had belted it in.) As my son shut the front door and proceeded to climb through the sliding door, he asked matter-of-factly, “Why’d you buy an idol, Mom?”
—Pauline Hogewoning
Our family was gathered to celebrate my brother-in-law’s birthday. He is a pastor and received a beach ball meant to be used in an icebreaker game for youth groups. It had thought-provoking questions all over it and was designed to be tossed around, with each person answering the question under his or her right thumb upon catching it. We started tossing it around and answering the questions. Eventually my 3-year-old son, Sam, got the question “If your house was on fire, what two things would you grab?” His answer? “Chocolate and marshmallows!”
—Jodi Dykstra
A second-grade teacher asked her class to draw a picture of the nativity. One little boy drew a very complete picture, showing the manger, several angels, some sheep, a star, Joseph, Mary, baby Jesus, and a little fat man sitting in the corner. The teacher thought for some time and finally asked the little boy to come forward. She said, “You have a very nice picture, and I understand everything except this little fat man sitting in the corner. Who is he?”
The boy replied, “That’s round John Virgin.”
—Robert Lubbers
A lady lost her handbag in the bustle of Christmas shopping. It was found by an honest little boy, who returned it to her. Looking in her purse she commented, “Hmm, that’s funny. When I lost my bag there was a $20 bill in it. Now there are 20 $1 bills.”
“That’s right, Ma’am,” the boy replied. “The last time I found a lady’s purse she didn’t have change for a reward.”
—Joe Stravers
