The Volcanologist

This is a conversation from last night.

Me: Jaydon, what's your favorite volcano?

Jay: Kilauea. It's one of the most active volcanoes on the planet. It's been erupting almost continuously since 1983.

Brian and I looked at each other in wonder. I'm sure we were thinking the same thing..."Did he really just say that?" So there's no doubt that Jay pays close attention to the volcano videos we watch on the web (Discovery Channel and National Geographic), and we know that he's listening when we read books on volcanoes. Evidently, I do not listen very well, and I do not have the same retention as Jay, because I had to check to be sure his facts were right before I posted this blog. Everything that he said is right.

Volcano & Earthquake, an DK Eyewitness Book, is Jaydon's absolute favorite right now. We've read it so many times, that he now "reads" it to me. I limit him to "reading" through it to 2 times before naptime and 2 times before bedtime. He always gets extra excited when we come to Kilauea in the book. So we've asked, "What's your favorite volcano?" and, as expected, his response has always been "Kilauea". Last night was the first time that he included educational commentary.

Jaydon is so thoughtful, too. One night, after telling us that Kilauea was his favorite volcano, he looked at me and said, "Mount St. Helen's is for Mommy". When I asked him what volcano would be for Dad, he said, "Mauna Loa". So there ya go...we are a volcano family. Hmmm...when Mount St. Helen's erupted it was very violent, explosive, and destructive. Is this me? Mauna Loa, on the other hand, is a mellow volcano, oozing lava slowly and steadily. Is this Brian? Jaydon is the most active guy in our household, that's for sure, so Kilauea's a good match for him. Am I reading into this too much? Anyways, I'm sure he'd be happy to pick a volcano for you, too, if you ask him.