Your honor, spare my son!

While walking home from school, Henry and I start talking about tightrope walking. Naturally.

Me: you know, a guy walked between the twin towers on a tightrope.

Henry: I know. And he died.

Me: No, he didn't. He made it over.

Henry: I thought he died.

Me: No, just got arrested.

Henry: Wouldn't he rather have been dead than be in jail for LIFE?!

Me: Wait, what? No one was in jail for life. I don't think he was in jail at all, actually.

Henry: I think he should have stared at the cops at the other end of the tightrope, and he should have said, "Well, here goes nothing," then spread his arms out and jumped.

Me: Gah! That sounds awful!

Henry: That's what they do on TV shows.

Me: What TV shows are you watching where people commit suicide by tightrope?

Henry: They're always jumping off buildings so they don't have to go to jail.

Me: I think those are superheroes who enjoy the power of flight.

Henry: What's so bad about jail, anyway?

Me: Well, you know. No freedom. You're trapped in there with criminals. Like that.

Henry: I don't think I'd do well in jail. I'm not a tough guy.

Me: No?

Henry: Nope. Not a toughie.

Comments

[Tina]

"Nope, not a toughie". Man, I love a child who is self aware! That is just great! LOL! Hey, at elast you won't have to worry about him doing any crazy teenage crap, because he's all "Nah...I'm not cut out for prison, you know?"

[BlabberMouse]

"Here goes nothin'."

Henry is awesome.

You should let him read Colum McCann's Let the Great World Spin. I think he's ready for it.

[Rachel Thomas]

omgosh. out of the mouth of babes

[Katie]

The Man Who Walked Between the Towers--it's a great storybook. It says he got "sentenced" to perform for kids in the park.

"not a toughie", but absolutely a cutie.

[schmutzie]

This weblog is being featured on Five Star Friday: http://www.fivestarfriday.com/2010/02/five-star-fridays-edition-90.html

Congratulations!

[edj]

I am cracking up here! That's so awesome! I think Henry is twin souls with my oldest...they have similar thought processes.

[sue]

I love Henry.

[alissa]

I am de-lurking to say that I have been a reader for years and I really *got* your past post about putting yourself out there and writing more often. I, for one, am whole-heartedly enjoying finding new words on your page all the time.

And, yes, Henry is awesome.

[Emily]

I adore Henry. "Not a toughie." Good stuff!

[Sadie at heyMamas]

What a cute story. He sounds seriously funny with a dry wit.

Sadie at heyMamas

[Jen]

Amen Henry. I feel exactly the same way about jail. (Though not so much the suicide by tightrope.)

[Quickwittedandwitty.blogspot.c]

Henry is so funny! Though I'm a little curious myself as to what shows have featured suicide by tightrope...

[adhocmom]

Sounds like a scene from some sort of urban Cormac McCarthy novel. . . you may have a budding young novelist on your hands.xPwww.adhocmom.com

[Maureen@IslandRoar]

I think this is the best kid-conversation I've heard all week!

[tzena]

Henry's lines sound implausible. And this is precisely why we love hime. We, as in "thewe" of the Internetlands.

[Erin (Snarke)]

I love the things kids say!

[AES]

there is a great children's book about it, recommended even for non-toughies

http://www.amazon.com/Man-Who-Walked-Between-Towers/dp/B001I6QYSW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1265418415&sr=8-2

[Karen from Chookooloonks]

Please, dear God in heaven, let Henry marry my daughter.

[moobee mama]

Sounds similar to a conversation I had with my son in which he asked me if he could homeschool for college. I said "absolutely, you sweet little thing!!" knowing full well he will be running for the door the minute he's 18.

[Shannon]

Henry is just something else. I get such a kick out of reading his words of wisdom.... I also have a sage at home (two of them really). Makes life interesting, doesn't it?

[mrs.notouching]

When are you letting Henry have his own blog? Or at least Twitter?

[bambooska]

That's one cute boy!

[Zoe (A Quick Study)]

I love how he is totally uninterested in your explanations. Superheros are clearly much less interesting than jail.

[Alexandra]

Oh....I'm just basking in all this blogging you're doing lately.

I can't believe it, I can read you almost daily now...I am loving your new ways, Alice.

I am seriously loving your "here I am, love me or not" way of putting yourself out there now.

You've got a lot of fans, Alice. Maybe they don't all comment, but I'm sure there are way more of us that love you than the weirdies who pick on you for no reason at all b/c there is NOTHING about you that is unloveable.

[misstraceynolan]

Every time you write about a conversation you've had with Henry it makes me so hopeful about my future. He's a keeper.