Kid Stuff: Lawyers and Plumbers Are Interchangeable

Earlier in the week, we left PJ with his grandmother for a couple of hours while we retrieved the big kid from after-school Whiz Quiz practice and ran another errand.  Grandmother being a good grandmother (and experienced mother) made PJ finish his homework before proceeding to turn on the TV.

Homework turned out to be a writing assignment tied to the week's theme of "Career."  PJ had to answer the question, "What jobs do your parents have, and what do they do in those jobs?"

Grandma:  "Do you know what your dad does for a living?"

PJ:  "Yup, he's a lawyer."

Grandma:  "What about your mom?"

PJ:  "Um, she does something with pipes.  I think she's a plumber."

PJ then proceeded to write his essay and insert it in his backpack.  Grandma did not want to make a big deal over things and possibly upset him, so she waited until we returned and she was back home to relate the story to us via e-mail.

We chuckled a bit, and then inquired:  what does Dad do for a living?

"Lawyer."

What does Mom do for a living?

"Also a lawyer."

Is it possible that you told Grandma that Mom was a plumber?

"It's possible."

Why would you tell Grandma that Mom was a plumber?

"It's possible that I was trying to be funny."

He then showed us his completed essay (which we confirmed that he wrote on his own, without promptng from Grandmad).  It read as follows:

My dad is a lawyer.  My mom is a lawyer, too.  Lawyers help people with contracts and other legal matters.

Okay, fair enough.  Points for "other legal matters" and for recognizing that Mom is not the kind of lawyer who goes to court.  (Dad started out as one of those courtroom lawyers, and he still goes to court a fair amount, but his practice has grown to encompass a lot of business law as well, so an emphasis on contracts is pretty spot-on.  Apparently, the kid pays attention.  Situationally.)

And I guess I do have a lot in common with a plumber.  I spend a lot of time pushing through clogs - in the flow of information, in negotiations between parties - and I do put up with a fair amount of . . . um . . . yeah, you can complete the sentence.