The course that I took this summer was more or less an intro to neurobiology for school psychologists. It was an interesting course, and both of the boys were curious about my textbook, when I would pull it out to study. Usually the interest would last a few minutes until something better came up, like Pierre taking them to the pool. But Benjamin, especially, liked looking at the diagrams - mostly of parts of the brain - in my book. And he would ask a bunch of questions. If I did well on the final exam, it was all because of Ben.
At one point Benjamin asked me about a diagram of a neuron. I gave him the kids’ version, explaining that it was a very small part of his brain that fired electrical pulses to helped him to think and learn. At the time, it was as simple as I could think to explain neurons. I was pretty sure that I had lost Ben with ‘pulses’.
Not so. Tonight, Benjamin was sitting at the table like a blue-eyed lump on a log. His fever had come back, and Pierre and I could see him fading by the second. We were trying to get a little dinner in him before bed. Suddenly, Ben picked up him head and looked at me:
“Mommy, you know the little electrical things in my brain? Well, they’re firing really slow right now because I’m sick.”
Well okay. I guess he had gotten it after all. He just amazes me with all that he remembers and understands.
“You know kiddo,” I replied. “Your neurons, those electrical things, they don’t slow down when you’re sick. But, your body does, so that’s probably why you’re feeling tired right now.”
Ben nodded at me with glassy-eyes, then all but fell asleep in his soup. Time for bed.
And time for me to go pull-out my textbook, and brush-up on what I know about those little electrical things - in case Ben has any more questions.
What have your kids said to amaze you? Share!
xo Naomi
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