No, no, not THAT kind... although that could be a post for a different time...
We've had trouble explaining how people are related by marriage. (I should explain that Yordanos has a way of running their two names together, mushing them into one entity... it usually comes out "Yordahabtamu".)
Me: Aunt Carrie is Daddy's sister, and my sister-in-law.
Y: Everybody's sister?
Me: No, Daddy's sister, my sister-in-law.
Y: ?
Y: So, you Daddy, brother sister? Like Yordahabtamu?
Me: Uh, no. You don't marry your brother. Daddy is my husband.
Y: Yordahabtamu no husband?
Me: Right. Daddy is my husband. I am Daddy's wife.
Y: Yordahabtamu no wife?
Me: Right.
Y: Uncle Paul?
Me: Uncle Paul is married to Aunt Carrie (Lee's sister), so he is Mommy and Daddy's brother-in law.
Y: Yordahabtamu no brother?
Me: No, he is your Uncle.
Y: Yordanos no brother?
Me: Uncle Paul is your Uncle.
Y: NO-uh. I said something different. Habtamu Yordanos brother sister?
Me: Yes. You and Habtamu are brother and sister.
Y: Me marry Habtamu?
Me: No.
This is about the time my head explodes. It's like sparring with an opponent with no reasoning skills or logic. It's like they're CHILDREN or something. :)
5 comments:
I can just picture Y saying those things.. like she is trying so hard to wrap her brain around that concept. I can just imagine how her voice inflects. She is so sweet.
Maybe some pictures and diagrams would help? :)
Y: Me marry Habtamu?
Me: No, unless you live in Alabama
;)
maybe a family tree project is in order?
I have had such a similar conversation that I laughed until I cried reading yours!
Just tonight I was explaining once again that our nineteen year old daughter is not my sister, but that she came out of my tummy, I came out of Grandma Rae's tummy and back to their great Grandma. When we were all done, one of the girls said, "Kelsey older than you?" (Kelsey is our daughter!)
I love your line about reasoning skills and logic. So funny.
Having this very similar conversation regarding who is related to who and how so many times and none of it sinking in reminds me of lots of our school days! ha
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