It's About Time

The conversation began on Saturday....you know, the one where we discuss Daylight Savings Time.  We will go to bed and in the middle of the night, we will lose one hour and spring ahead.  It seems simple enough. I love daylight savings time because it is the only way I get at least one child to sleep until 7:00 a.m. even if it is fake.

But Thing 1 was stymied about this occurrence and wouldn't let it go.
We were visiting the farm and decided to head into town for some hardware for one of many things that don't work and this conversation ensued.

"So it's really 10:00? The clock says it's 9:00, but it's really 10:00?"

"No, it's 10:00. Dad changed the clock. He moved it ahead one hour."

"But wouldn't it be 11:00 then?"

"No, it said 9:00 and he moved it to 10:00."

"Where did the hour go? I don't get it. It just disappeared?"

"Well, at precisely 2:00 a.m., an hour disappeared and it became 3:00 a.m."

"How does it just disappear?"

"It just does. Everyone adjust their clocks accordingly. This happens twice a year in order to maximize on the daylight hours to save energy, supposedly."

"What if someone forgets to change their clock?"

"They will be late, I suppose."

"Do they still lose their hour?"

"Yes, you can't fake this system."

"But I feel hungry now. Are you sure it isn't 11:00? Maybe dad changed the clock the wrong way."

"No, my phone says it's 10:00."

"See! It's 11:00. You have to move your phone ahead!"

"My phone adjusts itself. Computers do this as well."

"But I am hungry!"

"Well, we'll have to get a snack or wait for lunch."

"Which is at 11:00?"

"Or 12:00, or when we get around to it."

"Why can't it be 11:00 now?"

"Because it's 10:00."

"But really 9:00 to me.  I know what I need....more breakfast. I didn't have much."

Thing 2 had been quiet during all of this. He was immersed in Magic Tree House number 6. Big Man tuned out two minutes after the exchange began because...well, that 's obvious, right?

Big Man jumped out of the car quickly when we arrived at the hardware store to avoid any more of this maddening line of questioning.

Thing 2 finally looked up from Magic Tree House book number 6.  "Hey mom, when I am hungry I don't care what time it is. But find that missing hour, please, because she is driving me nuts!"

He went back to his book.

Thing 1 looked at me.  "What?"

Then she started humming, something she does whether things are right in her world or not. The time might change, but this humming is something we can always count on.

As I opened the car door Thing 2 yelled, "Will you be quiet?"

Thing 1kept humming, Thing 2 went back to his book, and I went inside.











Comments

  1. Don't you hate (but sometimes love) when you get in these maddening lines of questioning with children? My son was fine about the time change when we got in the car to drive in to town on Monday and i told him that I had turned the clocks ahead so now it's dark in the morning again. But then on Tuesday when it wasn't dark he yelled at me that "I thought you turned the clocks. This doesn't make sense. You're not being fair."

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  2. I'm laughing so hard my eyes are filled with tears....
    Love it, Auntie Anne

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