Overheard

The other day my son had a friend over. With just the two of them, it was easy to eavesdrop. Preschooler conversations can be pretty interesting to listen in on.

Some highlights of that visit:

4 Going on 40
"Oh, Josh, I forgot to show you this," Benjamin said, as if he had this idea in the back of his head for days. Then he took a birthday party themes catalog over and showed Josh the Thomas page. Josh is a huge fan of "Thomas the Tank Engine." Then they commenced to talk like a couple of grown hobbyists having a bull session about their favorite gear.

"Look, there's Thomas's caboose ! He doesn't always   have his caboose."

"Look, they have Thomas plates.  I  would like Thomas plates at my birthday party."

"I had Thomas balloons  at my birthday party."

And so on.

Another conversation:

Oh, the Invisible  Ones
Josh, sort of mumbling, "You stay here and help me. But you  go into the other room . . . "

Benjamin: "What?"

Josh, oblivious to the question, " … and you take this when you go. Now you help me make this …"

Benjamin: "Josh, … WHAT did you say … ?"

This pattern of exchanges continued for a few more "what"'s, until Josh finally answered, exasperated, as if it were the most obvious observation in the world, "Ben, I'm not talking to you. I'm talking to my imaginary friends !"

Then Benjamin responded, as if it he'd been quite the fool not to know something so blatantly clear, "OhhhHHHHHHhhhhh."

Their own little society. Fascinating.