Conversations on This Side of the Pond - Hannah

Like Tamara, I've also had some interesting conversations with the kids during the past week and a half.

Hannah. This has been an ongoing discussion over several days. Most have occurred in the car.
Hannah asked me why her last name is Wheeler and not Johnson. I said that is the tradition in our culture.

A car trip or two later she said she doesn't like the name Wheeler because she is always last in school. I know the feeling, and was always glad someone named wilson, young, zelinski, williams, wolf, white, or a wright. Occasionally I wasn't last. She said she wished she had mom's original last name (i.e., maiden name).

On a subsequent trip Hannah asked me who she would marry. And, if she would have to take the man's name to be her own. I said that is the tradition in our culture. She asked if she could marry Spencer? I said that is not possible. She said then it would be easy because she would keep her last name - Wheeler and not have to have a new last name.

Round 4. Hannah asked me how she would know who to marry. I didn't have a chance to go to answer this one due to some emergency (two little kids causes that to happen). I think I said someone who you like, who understands you, who you can play well together with. She said - like Spencer? I said yes. For now I told her just to find boys who are fun to play with and not to worry too much about the bigger question of a future husband for now. Just learn to play with boys a bit.

Next trip around Hannah said she had now figured out how finding a husband works and proceeded to explain to me how it works. She said - in grade school you are just friends, or classmates. Once you are a teenager, you start to like boys, maybe even having a boyfriend. Then after school you start to get serious and have a boyfriend. Then after college you decide to get married and settle down (or, something similar to that - the explanation went really fast).