During a recent family visit, I volunteered to take charge of six kids, ages 5 to 16. How could I pass this up? It was the perfect kid-lit writer’s research project and a chance to see what it’s like to be a mother of six children. (It is exhausting.)
I took pictures and notes, especially the chatter of the 5-year-old boy. He’s Hollywood cute and creative, too. His charm takes over a room. And his lips never quit moving.
This boy spouts random observations, sometimes expressed in a conversation but usually just tossed into the mix with no context at all.
These are my favorite quotes. (Maybe they’ll turn up in a future novel.) No need to wonder about context because often there wasn’t any.
That dog was so freaky it made my eyes throw up.
(About his cold.) Everyone’s always telling me, “help, help, help” with our chickens. That’s how I got the sinuses.
On TV I heard if you eat glue you get laser eyes and turn into a monster.
(About those monsters.) Superheroes are not real, but monsters are.
Bigfoot only eats s’mores. (Looks around at amused adults.) What? A s’more is a sandwich!
(At Dairy Queen.) If you mix strawberry ice cream with vanilla, it gives you the color chocolate.
Your chest doesn’t have a brain. That’s it. That’s all I know.