Time

I don't remember if we had Zach yet or not, but if we did, he was young.  I remember my sister in-law telling a story of her son, who was around nine, thinking that he slept about twenty minutes every night.  It was my first introduction to a child's inability to understand and conceive lengths of time.  It makes sense right? It is not until children are older that they can conceptualize a length or period of passing time.  They just don't have the capacity ... right?

I have another theory, that arose tonight just before bedtime.  Julie gave the, "Five minutes to bedtime" warning and then, about 75 seconds later announced, "OK, time for bed."  Of course Zach immediately called her out on it and bedtime was delayed for a few more minutes.  But how many times do we do this.  "I will get you a drink in a minute" ... forty-five minutes later, still an empty cup.  "I just need five minutes to relax and check my e-mail" ... ten e-mails, five Facebook posts, some online shopping, a few YouTube clips and two hours later, you wonder where the baby is, why there is water all over the floor and who made the mac and cheese that is on the stove.

No wonder our children are so screwed up when it comes to time.  Children are the most literal people that I know.  What was the first thing Zane did when opening his new Buzz Lightyear action figure at his birthday party?  He threw him across the yard (popping Buzzes wing right out of joint).  When I asked him, "Why did you do that?"  His response to me, "I thought Buzz Lightyear could fly."

So for the sake of all of the children out there suffering from the terrible ailment of Horologagnosia, let us work to be more diligent in accurately blowing our children off.