Imaginations

"I think when I grow up and have my own job, I'm going to adopt."

"That's wonderful!" I beamed, glad that he has perceived the positive example running all through our family. So many of my relatives were adopted and we have blended into a group of people rightly fit for one another.

"Yeah, that way I can have kids without getting married."

I picked up a big tub of laundry soap as we perused the aisles of Walmart.

"I bet you'll change your mind about wanting to be married by then."

"Nope."

"Well, then, how are you going to take care of your baby while you are at work?"

"I thought if I can be a pro-sport referee of some kind, then I would make pretty decent money AND I could bring him with me so he could watch from the sidelines. We could spend time together and I could make a living." (I love that he chases after HIS dreams, even though conventional wisdom states being "the athlete" is the better choice.)

"What about before he's old enough?"

"Well, maybe you could help just for a couple of years. You said you can't wait to be a Grandma."

I had just seen the MOST ADORABLE infant outfit and had no one at all to buy it for.

"I will love to spend as much time with your kids as I can," I said.

Their plans and dreams are sometimes so far-fetched for this era in their lives. Two hours after this conversation, my terrific son was grilling me on loans and taxes and space rental to start his own elementary and middle school sports magazine. And the thing is, in about a decade or two, I have NO DOUBT he could start his own publication. Or found a technical research lab like he once begged us to help him do in a bunker he wanted to construct under the driveway. He has goals that are certainly attainable. Sometimes, he just needs a few years to really grow into them.

We arrived home and I walked outside to greet my daughter. She was lying on her back on the trampoline with her friend and they were playing "orphanage."

"Orphanage?" I asked. "That sounds like a strange game."

"Well, the flood waters came and washed our house away, and we got separated from our parents, so now we have to help each other to find something to eat."

This was a vastly different perspective from my oldest son's success stories. Jenny is obviously allowed to watch the evening news while my kids are not. Until now, Katrina was a vague word in their vocabulary. A tragedy without details. I tried to look past the faux paus that Jenny didn't even realize she was committing. After all, her parents don't know any differently either. And how sweet it was that Jenny's number one goal in her perilous world of make believe is to keep my daughter - her friend - protected. That made me smile.

Soon, I had diverted them toward happier thoughts. Now they were looking for shapes in the clouds.

Hearing their hearts' concerns, questions, and dreams. It's why my favorite time of day is the drive home from school. That's when they not only share the day's events, but give me their take on what it all might mean. Each day they change. Their views of the world become a little more knowledgeable, and so a little less innocent. But at least for now, they still believe that most people are good, that cotton candy is the world's most perfect treat and the tooth fairy is a worthy character. For now they see the world the way they want to and not the way their peers tell them they should. I pray that in particular never changes. For now, they live a lot in their make-believe places, and I am so blessed to be invited for frequent visits.

I hope that's still true even when their kids are calling me "Grandma."