iPants

Conversation with the youngling:

"Remember that thing you were telling me about 'i' pants?"

"'I' pants?" Kids change topics on you at random and with frequency. We were talking about toothpaste two seconds ago. I have no idea where he's going with this.

"Yeah, you know, the blue ones?"

"Blue 'i' pants?" I've got nothing. I look at my husband. He shakes his head no. He doesn't have a clue either.

"Remind me."

"That make your eyes look blue."

"Eye-pants?"

The child heaves a sigh that clearly indicates that he's trying to muster up some patience to deal with me. "You said that daddy had blue pants and you had blue pants and brown pants so you gave me one blue pant and daddy gave me one of his blue pants and that's why-"

Click.

"Genes."

"Jeans?"

"Genes. Yes. I gave you a gene allele for blue eyes."

"Right. I figured out where you got the blue pants."

"Genes."

"Right. Blue genes. You got it from Pop-pop."

"Absolutely right."

Obviously I didn't explain this clearly the first time around. I now need to go back and explain that genetics is not me borrowing a pair of pants from my dad. Well, not exactly anyway...