Meaningful conversation

(The pictures have nothing to do with this post, other than the subjects with whom said conversations took place are in the picture. I just realized I haven't put a picture up lately.)

The setting: Election Day, afternoon. Hadley returns from school. "Mom, who is winning the election?" she asks.

I reply, "So far, Barack Obama is winning."

Hadley bursts into tears and between her sobs says, "The world is going to end. I don't want the world to end."

I sort of agree (just kidding. I'm not THAT Republican!) but I ask a few more questions just to be sure. "Why do you think the world is going to end, Honey? We will be fine. Who told you that the world would end if Barack Obama is the president?"

"You did, Mom!" she says.

Now I am really confused. I'm pretty sure I didn't say that. It wasn't until later that night that it hit me. The previous evening, when discussing politics over dinner, Hadley asked what the differences were between the two candidates. I proceeded to lay out some of the main differences, ending with, "Barack Obama wants to end the war." Oops. I guess I should have checked to make sure my deaf child understood that part of the conversation.

Fast forward to the next day. Hadley returns from school. "Mom, is Dad going to be okay at his job when Barack Obama becomes the president?"

By this point, I am ultra sensitive. I don't want Hadley to have another near nervous breakdown. She worries so much that she already is a candidate for blood pressure medicine. (Not really, don't worry. I have to say that because she has so many random health problems that it wouldn't come as a big shock. But really she's fine. She's just a worrier.) "Yes, Hadley, Dad will be fine. He really won't be affected too much by an administration change."

"Well, I think he will be running around, so busy, all day long and he will always be home late and he won't have dinner with his family anymore. Just work, work, work."

"Why, Hadley?"

"Because Barack Obama is going to cause a lot of problems for the Republicans, Mom. And we are Republicans, Mom. And my dad is a lawyer and he told me that a lawyer's job is to fix problems."

Wow, talk about having faith in her daddy!

And now, Maddox. The setting: the kitchen on Thursday morning. Maddox says to me, "Hi, Gorgeous. Is your name Gorgeous, Mom?"

I grin. I could tell him yes. I should tell him yes. "My name is Mommy, Maddox," I reply.

"Oh. Then why does Daddy call you Gorgeous?"

I grin again. A little while later, Stewart comes home from work. "Hey Gorgeous," he says, as he walks over and kisses me. I grin yet again.