Lessons From Colin
Colin and I have been talking a lot this week about allergies and what causes them. It is difficult to explain to a 5-year-old, especially since I barely have a grasp on it myself! Today I found a website with illustrations of the sinus cavities and other things inside the head and throat. We examined it carefully and noticed how the teeth were set, where the brain is, what an eyeball looks like, how big the tongue is and the way the food and air streams intersect in the throat. I told him that was the reason I ask him to be careful not to take large bites and to chew before he swallows.

At dinner, I noticed Colin taking one strand of spaghetti at a time. All of a sudden he started breathing loudly. "What are you doing?" I asked.

"I wanted to make sure the spaghetti was not stuck in my throat so I was testing if I could breath!" He then went on to explain things to his brother and daddy. "If you get food caught in your throat, you can't breath or talk or eat. But you CAN die. And you can die pretty fast. You wouldn't have much time to do anything else!"

I hadn't told him that, but I guess he's no dummy.