The Sound of Silence

Now that Sam has finished kindergarten he is riding with me to his former day care for its summer program. I think it was a wise decision ... He is with his best friend Garrett and has already made a couple of new friends, and the program is so chock full of activities, I'm envious.

I was also looking forward to spending the time with Sam. It's about a 40-minute drive to my office so I pictured us engaged in delightful, witty conversation to and from school.

But getting Sam to talk about his day has proven more difficult. I shouldn't be surprised, if memory serves. But I thought that a 6-year-old would have more to talk about. I try open-ended questions: What did you have for lunch? Who did you sit with on the bus? But more often that not, I am getting inaudible, incoherent responses.

So I thought I would buy a couple of books on tape, something he and I could listen to during the ride. First of all it is hard to find books on tape that are appropriate for young ears. Secondly, books on tape aren't cheap. And thirdly, books on tape suck. Granted I did get The Lord of the Rings, which isn't exactly simple, but I figured if I couldn't follow the story, neither could he.

Yesterday I tried something else.

"Sam, you want to play association?"

"What is it?"

"I'll say a word and you say the first word that comes to mind, then I'll say the first word that comes to my mind."

"I don't get it."

"Let's just try. You say any word."

"Truck."

"Okay, that makes me think car. What does car make you think of?"

"Truck."

So much for association.