Connor's big brain

[sereneorange]

I woke up this morning and turned
on CNN as usual. I was watching as the helicopters were trying to land with
Arafat's coffin. I
watched with my mouth hanging open.

I was grateful for the opportunity to have
Connor watch this. I explained as briefly and as simply
as I could the history of Israel and Palestine. I explained the role that
the US has had with the fighting there and with Iraq, Iran, and
Afghanistan. He at first had a reaction of "those bad
Palastinians", then started to understand why they feel the way they
do, and why Israel feels they way they do.

I love
that he really enjoys watching CNN and The History Channel and asking
questions. I love that he is passionate about world events and history and
wants to be able to discuss them knowledgably. I adore his open mind and
compassion for others. He wants to immediately take a side, but when I try
to explain both sides, he really tries to understand. He is simply the
coolest kid ever.

 I know a lot of this is more than he can process at age 10,
but he is a lot more interested in it than I was at his age. I wanted
little more than books, cartoons, and swimming at age 10.