There on the left are 3 ewes, which I explained were the mommy sheep. In the center were two lambs, which I told him were the baby sheep. He didn't have a problem with three mommies having two babies, but when I told him the one with the horns was the daddy sheep, he looked at me like I was crazy.
"That's not a daddy. It's a mommy." He was adamant.
That's when I realized that, despite the fact that he can recognize Karl in photos and videos, he has no idea what a father is. He's only just starting to realize there are two genders, but it wasn't about that. His own father is a character in a story, and these were concrete (literally) things. A little thing is a baby. The big thing that cares for it is it's mommy. That is how the world works.
It's something time will change. As he gets older I'm sure he'll come to a better understanding, but it will be a process, not an epiphany. When I think about it, my own understanding isn't necessarily any clearer - if anything knowing more means there's more not to understand...
So I didn't try to go into details; we just moved on to the lake. There were tadpoles swimming in the shallows.
"Those are baby frogs," I told him.
"Those aren't frogs," he replied, with certainty. "Those are fishies." He grinned and darted off to run across the big stone bridge.
So much to learn in such a strange and surprising world. I'm so lucky I get to be his teacher.
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