A conversation with my toddler, now two-and-a-half:
“What dat, Mommy?”
“That sound? That’s the car engine. We’re leaving the parking lot to go home.”
“No. What DAT?” I hear the swish of his jacket fabric as he raises his arm to point at things I can’t see.
“Honey, I can’t see what you’re looking at. Can you tell me what color it is?”
“WHAT. DAT.”
“Is it blue? Green? Can you tell me what shape it is?”
“Mommyyyyyy…. what IS dat?”
“Liam, you’re going to have to give me more information. Where is it? In the sky? On the ground?”
“It right DERE, Mommy. What is it?”
I pull the car out of the space and look around for clues. The rear-facing child seat makes this game exponentially more difficult.
“Do you mean that big van?”
“Nope.”
“Is it something in the sky? an airplane? A rainbow?”
“Nope.”
“Honey, I’m out of ideas here.”
“MOMMY WHAT DAT?” Swish. Point.
“The flags? Do you mean those flags?”
“Yes.”
“Those are flags, Liam.”
“Oh. Okay.”