I wonder about kids and their "past selves" a lot. I know a lot of what they say is due to stuff they've learned in school and what they've seen on TV and heard in books, but tonight was a perfect example of how little we really know about our minds.

Ian told me that he was born in Africa the other night. I didn't think much of it, but I did ask him why he left. He told me it was too hot, it was very white and bright (from the sand), and that he wasn't happy there. I was a bit surprised he had those facts in his head, but I figured they might have been learning about Africa in school.

At dinner tonight I told Ian that he needed to tell Daddy where he was born. He sort of grinned and said, "I was born in Africa. I came here though because the season was hot all the time." Sean asked him when he came here, and Ian said, "Oh, I was very small!" I asked him where he lived in Africa, and he pulled out his globe and pointed to a small spot next to the Nile. I asked him what sort of building he lived in, and he said "Just a house." Sean asked if any of us lived with him, and he said "Rootie did. She lived in a house next to me. We played together all the time, but she was bigger than me. She was taller than I am now, and I was smaller." I asked what they played, and he said "Tic-Tac-Toe, hopscotch, and games that we could play in the sand that we don't play here." I was a bit surprised at this point, so I let the subject drop.

A little later we were watching A Madegascar Christmas, and I asked Ian if he has a girlfriend like the penguin did in the movie. He looked at me like I was dense, and said, "Of course I do. I told you that already!" I asked him who, and he said, "She's in the crib right now. You know, that girl." I said, "Oh, Roo's your girlfriend?" He looked at me with wide eyes and said, "Not now, Mommy. Now she's my sister! She was my girlfriend before."

Oh. Of course.