Kids have feelings too?

I was at a beautiful Shabbos (Sabbath) lunch recently wherein the hostess began to describe her difficulty in discussions with her eldest daughter (age 4, same as my little Stalin), in explaining why some of her relatives don't observe the Jewish laws like they do. Many people who become religious later in life, like myself, face this quandry quite often. "Why," little Orthodox Jew child asks, "does cousin It/Grandpa/Uncle Whatjawho drive on the Holy Sabbath/go to McDonalds/wear tank tops when we don't?" My stock reply for the past ten years and four kids of momdom has always been, "Your fill-in-the-blank-relative is Jewish but not religious."

When I explained this approach to my lovely hostess, she said, "I know, but daughter keeps asking this question and that question and just doesn't leave it alone." I say, "Lovely hostess, just tell her, 'Your relative is Jewish but not religious.'" Lovely hostess says, "But she'll just keep asking questions."  I am not sure what the confusion is until I realize, "Oh, they think little kids have feelings and we should always answer their million annoying questions."  I decide right then and there to reveal my trick. "Well," I tell her, "at this point in the conversation with my child I would say, 'Stop asking questions, you are really annoying me, go somewhere else." Hostess and her husband laugh uproariously, as if I were kidding.