MY BOY.....THE UNITED NATIONS!

So Elijah's teacher has been reading the Indian in the Cupboard series in class and he is OBSESSED.  She says he sits intently waiting with baited breath for each word.  He is now OBSESSED with Indians.  I swear to you we have a conversation over Indians daily now.....in the car, in the house, before bed when we too are reading a book from the series together, at Meme's, on the ride home from basketball....you get the pic....OBSESSED.  The boy has even made two of his very own bow and arrow sets from sticks and dental floss which surprisingly work quite well.  He chops down branches from our trees using a hand shovel so he can then make traps and shelters to trap his meal and rest.  He also makes Indian tacos with dirt and leaves from the magnolia tree and has requested an authentic Indian head dress.....you know.....to just wear around the house......specifically a Chief head dress!  He remembers the days when he was younger and we went to Pow Wows with our Native American friends and wants one of those "outfits you know mom that they dance around in"!!  He is on the verge of an identity crisis and wants to start sleeping outside!!

One day on the way home from school during the whole Indian conversation and the revelation he had when I told him Indians no longer live in teepees, he asked if he was Indian.  I told him that he does have Indian in him from Papa's side of the family as well as French on Papa's side and German on Meme's side but couldn't get through to him that it wasn't very much Indian.  To him it didn't matter "how much" just the idea of being Indian was exciting!!  Sure wish it was enough to get on the roll!!  Anyway the excitement was too much for him and the obsession has only grown since. 

The next week on our way home from basketball practice he asks, "Mom, how much Indian am I?"  I try to explain the process of how through the generations the percentage of Indian blood decreased but couldn't seem to explain it in a way that he could understand.  He then gets very excited and says, "Wow!  So if I am part Indian, am I part Cowboy too?"  I thought that was the cutest thing ever and chuckled at the thought that he had not quite learned the relationship of the original Cowboy and Indian days.  Instead of crushing his excitement I said, "Yes you are part cowboy too!"  He then says, "Sooooo.....how much cowboy am I?"  My answer, "Ask Papa!"  Very excited with his new found heritage he says, "Mom I am like the United Nations.  I am half black, half carcasian (yes I know that is spelled wrong but that is how he said it!), half German, half French, half Indian and half Cowboy!"  Chuckling I said, "Your fractions mean you are three men rolled into one!"  His response, "Yep!" 

I love this kid!