What a Sunday morning conversation in our homeschooling household sounds like:
Beloved Husband: So kids, did you like “Billy the Exterminator” last night?
The Boy: What was it again?
BH: It was about the man who exterminated animals.
TB: What does “exterminate” mean again?
BH: It means . . . to take the animals to a better place.
Me: Like, Australia?
BH: (no reply to my awesome attempt at being funnier than he is) So do you remember one thing that he was trying to exterminate?
TB: Yeah, the purple-tailed wasp. It was beautiful.
Me: But I thought you didn’t like wasps.
TB: I do! I love wasps.
Me: But you’re always scared of them, and cry when you see them.
TB: Well, I still love them.
BH: So what’s one kind of wood that the wasp liked to be in?
The Girl: Ummm . . .
BH: It’s an expensive wood, made into beautiful furniture. Ma . . .
TG: Mahogany!
[and so on]
For those who aren’t aware yet, everything is a potential learning experience for homeschoolers, and it’s not all serious stuff. Lessons learned from this session:
1) “Exterminate” is a cool euphemism for “kill mercilessly”.
2) Just because something is beautiful doesn’t mean that you can’t exterminate it. Especially if it’s being a nuisance by chomping on your expensive mahogany.
3) Mahogany is expensive and beautiful. More than purple-tailed wasps.
4) Everybody loves Australia. It’s a better place.
The Nocturnal Lecturer 