Stranded

Lately, during dinner, we have been playing little games.  For a while it was either Twenty Questions or I-Spy, but Tai's new favorite is "NameYourFive(IMeanSixIMeanSeven)FavoriteMoviesI'llGoFirst!"

That was cute the first time, but then he wanted to do it daily.  And my favorite movies don't change that often.  So, in an attempt to change the subject a bit, one night I posed this question:

If you were going to be stranded on a deserted island and could only bring three things, what would you bring?

This is the kind of game I recall playing as a kid, though I was perhaps a bit older than T and Q are now.  I feel like the logical response to this question is to (a) ask lots of clarifying questions about the island and what exists there, and then (b) list some items to bring that will help you survive (matches, a hatchet, food, warm clothing, duct tape, etc.)

Since Tai and Quynh are only 6 and 4, and have never played this game before, and have never even seen Cast Away, I had absolutely no idea how they would respond.  But of course, they managed to surprise and amaze me.

Quynh's response was thoughtful but swift:
1. Chocolate
2. My Family
3. My house and everything in it

She gets extra points for totally thinking outside the box about what a "thing" is.

I can't exactly recall what Tai's first two items were, though I think he adopted Quynh's "my family" line after seeing it elicit a big, "Awwwww" from me.  But his third item sticks out in my mind:

"My school.  And everyone in it."  (Because otherwise he wouldn't get to learn stuff and get smarter, was the sentiment.)

Then they turned the question on me.  But after hearing their answers, my usual ideas seemed absurdly un-imaginative.

Soon enough Tai was making up his own versions of the game.  I particularly liked, "If you were going to be in a hot air balloon for a week and could only bring 6 things what would they be?"  This brought about an animated discussion between Tai and Minh about weight considerations and whether you really need to bring something to pee in, or can you just pee over the side of the basket.....

We might need some new dinner games.