Two kids in a car

Watching your child grow up is obvious, but the less obvious is listening to your child grow up. We don't think so much about the more subtle intellectual developments that occur, unless we really listen. As a parent, it is often easier to tune out, especially when your child has someone else to entertain him, and the onus is off you. Driving home from a rather successful play date at an indoor playground, I had the opportunity to listen to the boys carry on a conversation with each other, and hear it evolve.
"Hey" My son said to his friend, "your pen lights up on the end"
"yeah, it does. My dad got it for me so I can look in people's mouths"
"How does it light up?" my son asks.
"You just press the button on the end and the light goes on." his friend said.
Thinking this is a good opportunity to intervene and teach, I started to say something.
"Hey..." but I was interrupted by the intensity of their fascination with the pen/light.
"It has a light bulb on the end, thats how it lights up!" my son said.
"It could use electricity like the telephones" My son's friend said, getting at the source of the light.
"It could have a battery!" my son said.
"No" his friend said,"It could use the wind, like when I blow it makes it go"
Proudly, I listened to two five year olds carry on a conversation about energy. They could have been discussing the next nobel prize, for all I cared, they both intelligently discussed something. My pride was quickly replaced by, well, I dont know what.
"Superman has a special power when he blows he can knock people over and fight crime" My friend's son said.
"I saw superman at my school!" my son said. "And wonderwoman, she wears a bra for a costume!"
Nice. I thought
"I know, I saw Bat woman's buttocks" my friend's son said.
Buttocks? I thought. Hmmm. Deep in thought as to whether the term buttocks was anatomically or politically correct, I tuned out for a moment. Always a bad thing.
"I had the hugest poop this morning. Huge. It was the biggest ever." I heard my friend's son say.
"I had one of those too but not today." my son chimed in. "Today, my grandmother had really bad diarrhea. For real."
And the conversation had deteriorated.
"Okay boys." I said, "Enough potty talk. Save it for the bathroom. And, I am sure your grandmother didnt want the world to know of her troubles."
I turned on the radio.