Bedtime Conversations

     Listening to the zooligans talk amongst themselves at bedtime is a treat. It doesn't happen often, as we have staggered bedtimes for age groups. Last night, however, all of the kiddos over age seven were out at bedtimes for littles. The seven and five year old were chatting about everything!
     First, they were making up superhero scenarios. Most of those stories included things that mom might usually shush them for saying. "And then his head went up his but", "And then he farted so loud and stinky he had to change his underpants!", "And then he kicked him right in his butt!"
     I mean, really. Our first, second, third, and fourth children were instructed not to say those yucky words. Butt, Fart, Shut Up. I mean, c'mon! Let's be respectful! Then, there were three boys in a row. I'm pretty sure that Butt, Poop, and Fart are the first words that babies even think. They say "Mama" and "Dada" because that's who brings the food and gets them out of the crib. Those other distasteful words come later. I don't say those words, so where on earth did the kids hear them? Obviously children only repeat what they hear, right?  It has been my experience that someone you never met can whisper something around a corner in loud, crowded place, and two days later, my toddler will repeat it perfectly. In public. Like, at church.
     So, back to the bedtime conversation. After all the potty word stories, they are planning their next birthday parties. Chuck e. Cheese, Airplane trips to some exotic location such as Kansas where Mimi and Poppy live, Giant ice creams, Motorcycle rides.
     Pretty soon, I hear  5 yo "Close the door. Close it all the way."
                                   7 yo "Why?"
                                   5 yo "Cuz I don't wanna get in trouble."
                                   7 yo "For what?"
                                   5 yo "Cuz we only have two rules, Be still and Be quiet, and we aren't obeying right
                                             away, all the way or with a happy heart."
I couldn't be happier at hearing that conversation. He knows the requirements. He knows he wasn't meeting them. But, I'm not going to call him out on it tonight. Inconsistent? Yeah. But, hey, they are talking pretty quietly, they are staying in the beds, and they are aware that there may be consequences. Also, as they continue, their voices are becoming slow and sleepy, and their words are fewer and farther between.
     How many years do I have left to listen to sweet, funny bedtime conversations? It's hard to say, but I'd wager it isn't very many!