Tonight, we went out to dinner at a local place to celebrate SOS’s (our son, source of sanity’s) first half-week at school.  (Never mind that I pay something like $275 a day for him to go to this school . . . .)

I asked him about his day and what he liked about school so far.  He dutifully answered.  And then as I took a satisfying sip of wine, he asked, “E-Mom, what is the status of the euro crisis?”

Really?  Really?  Not, “can I watch TV when we get home?”?  Nooooooooooooooooo.  The euro crisis.

Yep, you heard me, the euro crisis.

(I remind everyone that he has not one of my genes.  So, I stand in amazement with all of you.)

So I told him about today’s high profile resignation and how that shook the markets.

“Why, E-Mom?”

“Because this guy was against the kind of measures we took in the US to put more money in the economy.  And people don’t know if that is a signal of a different policy.”

“What does that mean?”  I proceeded to discuss the ramifications of those who worry more than others about inflation or deflation.  He stayed with me, which is amazing.  I ended with the reason that people have different views:

“Well, there are different countries that use the euro and they have different degrees of prosperity and recession.  And the rich countries don’t want to carry the debts of the economically troubled countries. “

“Can’t the federal government do something about it?”

“Well, it isn’t like the US.  These are different nations.”

“So they are like separate towers on the map of medieval Europe.”  (We are reading about medieval times and the great explorers.)

“Well, ok, that is true to an extent.” (More true than he realizes.)

“How is Asia doing?” (Really, how is Asia doing?)

“They are trying to slow their growth. While we are in a terrible recession where it is hard to find a job, some countries in Asia (although not all of Asia) have the opposite problem.  They are creating too much wealth.  And prices aren’t connected to value anymore.  So, we might pay $10 for something for which a person in China pays more than $100.”

“Are they all talking to each other?”

“Well, just like we talk to some of our neighbors and not others, countries do the same.  Remember the guy in our building that Mommy [POB (partner of blogger)] accidentally said was an idiot? Well we don’t hold the elevator for him anymore, but we hold the elevator for other neighbors, like Sophie and her parents.”

SOS’s hamburger and french fries came.  Thank G-d.  I was committing the conversation to memory so I could blog about it.  To that end, I didn’t have a second glass of wine.

We got home and the idiot’s wife was at the elevator.  SOS pushed her floor button for her.  She asked how SOS liked the first week of school. He said he had fun.  He paused, and then asked after her (and the idiot’s) children, “How were Isaiah’s and Gertie’s first week?”

My son, the bridge across the divide.

So, tonight, he can watch TV until he drops.  He has come in several times to ask if I will watch TV with POB and him.  Coming, buddy, right after I blog about you, I say to myself.

Real time memories.  I hope he smiles in 25 years when he reads this.  He had the wisdom of the ages and the “can do” simplicity of children.  Oh, how we need the latter right now to save our world.