Meredith, Solomon, and I were in the van on the way to my rheumatologist's office. We were on an unfamiliar road early in the morning and the kids were reading in the back seat.
Solomon: Where are we, Mom?
Joan: We're half way to Brighton to see my doctor.
Solomon: This place looks like hell!
Joan [puzzled, it is rather bleak, but the scene of eternal damnation?]: Umm... what do you mean, Solomon?
Solomon: The road, it is going up and down verrrrrry big.
Joan: Ahhh, there is a big HILL!
Solomon: Yes, a hell.
Meredith [mortified]: Solomon, you said a bad word!
Solomon [panicking]: No I did not!
Meredith [condescending]: Yes, you did. You said H-E-L-L and that is a swear word. It is where the devil lives and it is very very bad to say.
Solomon [confused and defensive]: No!! I am not talking about the devil I am talking about up and down!!
Joan: It's okay, Sol, you meant HILL which is when the ground goes up and down but it came out like HELL which is only a bad word, Meredith, when you say something like "what the h*** are you doing". It's not a bad word if you are talking about where the devil lives. But lets just not say it at all, okay guys?
Mere/Sol: Okay.
[a few seconds of silence]
Meredith: You'll get in big trouble if you say it on the school bus.
Joan: Meredith, leave him alone.
[a few more seconds of silence]
Solomon [resigned]: English is hard.
Yes. it. is.!!! We got lots of laughs out of the boys saying "shot" *(shi*) in the beginning (and it was said a lot because they were getting a lot of them!) Blake Bizyaehu still gets very frustrated with English, he is struggling a lot more than Silas Sintyaheu...any suggestions? (Other than LOTS of patience?!)
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