How a Boy Thinks

The Almost Four Year-Old: “Why are bricks rectangles?”

The Mommy: “Hmmmm… That’s a good question. Let’s think about what would happen if they were circles instead. The bricks wouldn’t be able to stay in place and all the houses would fall down, so that wouldn’t work. If bricks were triangles, there would be too many gaps to make a wall, unless some of them were placed upside-down, and that would be too confusing. If they were squares, it would be hard to stagger them because they’d be too close together…”

The Daddy: “It’s so the weight of the wall can be evenly distributed.”

One of the many reasons I married this man is that he can think on his feet, whereas it takes me a while to process the question and think through all the possible answers before finally settling on the one that makes most sense. Usually out loud. Mind you, Matt probably knew the answer already. He's a man, after all. Me, I’ve never given bricks much thought. But as Jack asks questions to figure out why the world is the way it is, I’m gaining great insight into how a boy thinks. For this woman of one sister, myriad girlfriends and a husband whose ways are often the opposite of mine, it's like a mystery is unfolding before me -- very interesting, often curious and with funny surprises along the way.