The things they remember...

We were in the car today, heading to swim lessons when Kael saw someone standing by his car in a parking lot (we were stopped at a light). He asked if that man forgot his keys. More concerned with the sound of Cheerios being flung across the backseat by Malia (she likes to open her snack trap and dump everything onto her lap), I said absentmindedly: I don't know honey, I don't think so.

Kael: I think he forgot his keys.
Me: Uh-huh.
(Damn, she did pop the lid off. Truong's going to kill me; the car's a mess again.)

Kael: Will he have to break his window?
Me: Umm. No, I don't think so.
(Shoot, did she dump the whole thing? How much did she dump out?)

Kael: Mom, what's the name of your friends that went to the zoo with us?
Me (this question caught my attention): You mean Ms. Crystal and Mr. Jimmy? Them?
Kael: Oh yeah, them! Remember when Ms. Crystal had to break the window?
(Dammit he had to remember that one story out of everything we did that day!)

Me: Umm. Yes... But she only did that because she was stuck outside and needed her car keys.
(Sending evil thoughts to Crystal for even mentioning that story in front of him.)

Kael: Well, that guy was stuck too so do you think he's going to break the window like Ms. Crystal did?
Me: Uh. Well... (my stall tactic). Hmm. I don't think he lost his keys, Baby. I think his keys were in his pocket and he was just fishing them out. Like how I put my keys in my bag and I have to fish them out to open our car. So no window breaking today.
(Good save, Sonya.)

There's a moment of silence. I think the topic's finally dropped, with pretty good damage control if I do say so myself. And then:

Kael: Is breaking windows bad, Mom?
Me: YES, IT IS!
(I jump on this statement like a drowning man to a life preserver.)

Kael: But Ms. Crystal had to break her window, right?
Me: [[ Silence ]]
I smell a trap and look back to see if he's smirking, if he's testing me and knows he's got me cornered.

Kael: Right, Mom? Ms. Crystal broke her window, right? Why did she do that?
Me (cursing Crystal, again): Yeess, but Ms. Crystal had to break her window because she was stuck outside. If she wasn't stuck without her car keys, she wouldn't have broken the windows.
(I'm talking really slow, making sure I'm not setting myself up for disaster with my own statements. Quite honestly, I'm a little nervous that he's got me boxed in.)

Kael: Why was she stuck? Why didn't she get someone to help her? Why did she break the window? Did she get in trouble? Did the police come and get her?
Me: [[ Silence again, my eyes are opened wide, with my thoughts ping-ponging in my head, trying to find the right answer ]] Ms. Crystal's Mom and Dad weren't home and there was no one around to help her. Her car keys were in the house and they were stuck outside. So she had to break the window. She didn't want to but it was something that needed to be done.

Kael sits on this for a bit, mulling it over in his head, and then: If the police saw her, would they put her in jail?

Oh jeez. I gritted my teeth over this one. Which way do I go? Do I tell him that yes, you can get arrested for breaking windows and have him look at Ms. Crystal and Mr. Jimmy as "bad guys" or do I save their reputations but risk him thinking that it's OK to break windows?

Me (slowly again): Yes, you can get in trouble with the police for breaking windows, but Ms. Crystal was OK to break her parents' window just that one time because she was stuck outside. If her mom and dad were there, if anyone was there to help her, she wouldn't have had to break the window.
(I quickly review what I said in my mind to check for any loopholes, and find none.)

Kael: But if the police saw her, would they put her in jail?
(Gawd, what is it with putting people in jail?!)

Me: No, honey! Jeez. The police didn't see her and it's OK now. Ms. Crystal isn't going to break anymore windows. She knows it was wrong to do and she won't do it again.

Kael thinks it over, and finally (mercifully) drops the subject.

The boy can't remember how to put on his shirt (tag in back), he can't remember the "no beaning Malia on the head with any object - ever" rule, and he can't remember to say "excuse me" after he passes gas -- but he remembers this one little bit of conversation after a full tiring day at the San Diego Zoo, weeks ago?!

Jeez.