American Monuments - Canadian Kids

You know what they don't teach in Canadian history class? American history. I came to Washington, D.C. with almost no knowledge of America's past, but as a Dad it's my job to have answers to my kids questions. In places like the Museum of Natural History, I can let the experts handle things, but I knew that my kids were going to have questions about some of the monuments and places that we were visiting in D.C., so I made sure to do my research and have all the answers ready to go when asked.

I studied way too hard.

Here are five conversations I had with my children while we were touring around Washington. I decided not to identify which child said what as their teachers have been known to read this blog on occasion, and I don't need this kind of stuff reflecting on their report card.

Me: That's the Capitol building. It's where the Government meets.
Child: It looks really old. When was it built?
Me: It says that construction on it started in 1793.
Child: Wow. How old were you then Dad?

Child: Why is the White House so far away from the fence?
Me: It's so people don't try and shoot things over the fence at the building.
Child: Like Angry Birds?

Child: Are you sure that's Abraham Lincoln?
Me: Pretty sure. What makes you think it's not?
Child: He's not wearing his hat.
Me: I don't think he always wore his hat.
Child: Sure he did. Remember the song?
Me: The song?
Child: "With his Stove Top hat and his button nose, and two eyes....
Me: Umm...It's corncob pipe and that's Frosty the Snowman
Child: Oh.

Child: What's that really tall building?
Me: That's the Washington Monument. It's for George Washington, the first president.
Child: Oh. (Looking up) How tall was he?

Child: Why does that building have a Canadian flag?
Me: That's the Canadian Embassy. It's sort of like a little section of D.C. that Canada owns.
Child: Do they have a Tim Hortons?

If you enjoyed these stories, check out Short Stories from New York City for more strange tales.

This post is a part of Photo Friday at Delicious Baby and Friday Daydreamin at R We There Yet Mom. If you didn't get here from one of those sites, you should really go check them out. There's people there whose kids don't get Abraham Lincoln and Frosty the Snowman confused.