What Do Your Kids Think About?

Sometimes I’ll catch my three-year-old son staring off into space, looking so pensive I just have to ask him, “Ronan, what are you thinking about?”

He’ll turn to me and say, “Gooky poopy head!”

So much for deep thoughts.

But I do wonder what my kids think about. My efforts at conversation with them are mostly thwarted — How was school? Fine. What did you dream about? I don’t remember. I don’t think they quite grasp the concept of thinking or dreaming yet.

I’m not the only one who wonders what’s going on in my kids’ heads. Peter Hartlaub over at The Poop, The San Francisco Chronicle’s baby blog, often wonders the same thing (about his own kids, of course). He cleverly estimates the percentage of each day his kids spend thinking about various things and asks readers to do the same.

So here’s my best guess for my 3-year-old:

Pirates 47%

His penis 29%

His brother’s penis 2% (mostly at bedtime when they fight over who gets to flush the toilet)

Gum 8%

I need a Band-Aid! 14%

And 4 1/2-year-old Declan:

Writing his name in bubble letters 23%

Pirates 21%

Can I have dessert? 35%

Hoping “We’ll see” really means “Yes” in response to, “Can we watch a show?” 21%

Of course, 1-year-old (today!) Molly is easy:

Food! 50%

Mama! 48%

Dada! 2%

Share your own kids’ deep thoughts in the comments below!