Memory Monday: Joke Time!

JT has started telling jokes. If you are not aware of the language development of an average four-year-old, know that jokes told by most children from preschool through early elementary have punchlines that make no sense. The goal of the joke is to say the most ridiculous thing one can think of.

Q: What's turtle plus baby?
A: An octopus!

Q: Why does a fin have two fins?
A: So it can swim!

As a parent, you laugh at these jokes because they do not yet revolve around trying to get you to say something inappropriate by repeating certain letters or the names of certain planets. Incidentally, during my adventures as a substitute teacher, I did have a fourth grader who repeatedly asked me to "spell iCup." It took quite a few rounds of me starting of the spelling with "E-Y-E" before the realization dawned that it was possible, just possible, that I had heard this joke before.

I love my four-year-old and his random word humor. :)

Memory Monday: Enter the Plot Hole

I've decided to start another regular segment on this blog, which I am going to entitle Memory Monday. Mostly, this is going to be me sharing fun moments with my kids, but as it is the Book and Baby blog, I don't think that's too out of place.

Today's adventure... my four-year-old discovers the concept of a plot hole.

My son has asked some interesting questions recently in regards to some of his favorite super-heroes. He loves to act out the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and while he had me pretending to me Michelangelo (on account of that's the only turtle I never mix up with the others), he asks, "Why don't the turtles just call the police and tell them to arrest Shredder?"

Very good point. "I don't know," I reply. "Why don't we do that?"

"Okay!" He proceeds to pick up an invisible phone and tell police that Shredder is being bad and should definitely be arrested. The police wholeheartedly agree and Shredder is thrown in jail. The turtles wait around for a while until my son realizes that pretending to be superheroes when the bad guy already got arrested is kind of boring.

"Oh," he says, sitting up. "The police fell asleep, and Shredder got out. We have to go get him."

"Okay," I agree, and off we go.

Fast forward a few weeks, and the superhero of the month is Batman. My son is questioning how The Joker keeps coming back all the time, even though Batman helps the police arrest him over and over.

"They should just have a fire jail," he declares in the car. "Then when the Joker tried to touch it, he would say, 'Ow! That's hot!' and then he wouldn't try to get out anymore."

Again, very good point. Although now I must wonder if somewhere over the various Batman universes, The Joker has ever been contained in a fire jail. (And if he was, how did he escape?)

Have you ever dissected a favorite childhood book or show by finding all the plot holes in it? (Or had someone too young to have heard of a VCR find them all for you?) Did it ruin the series or do you still love it anyway?