Aidan: Awkward, hilarious, and completely sincere

Last week in church, our family met a jaunty old man named Jack and the following conversation ensued:

First, a little bit of context. Robert, Aidan, and I were sitting in the last row of church, and Jack was camped out next to us while waiting for his friend to arrive. He was a funny little man, probably north of 80 years old and wearing a white suit straight out of the 70's. Jack caught Aidan's eye and said, "What's your name, young man?"

Aidan, who has never met a stranger in his life, replied, "My name is Aidan. Nice to meet you."

Jack was simply delighted at Aidan's responsiveness and, gesturing to me, asked him, "Who is that? Your sister?"

Aidan, tickled at the thought, responded incredulously, "No, she's my mom."

Jack, pointing at Robert, "Who is this?"

Aidan: "That's my stepdad."

Jack, teasing in an old man kind of way, "Oh yeah, which one is the meanest?"

Aidan, not interpreting the question correctly responded, "I'm not really sure who's the meanest. My biological dad divorced my mom when I was two so I don't live with him. I live with my mom and my stepdad."

First off, I have to clarify that Aidan didn't quite have his facts straight. His dad and I divorced when he was four. Second, I love that kids have absolutely no boundaries when it comes to laying it all out on the table. In Aidan's mind, divorce is nothing to be ashamed of. It's just part of our family history, like moving from California or adopting Stan. He was so unabashedly forthright in his answer and not even the slightest bit apologetic or defensive.

What Robert loved most about the interaction was that it never even occurred to Aidan that I might be in the running for "meanest." As I was obviously not a contender, Aidan's little brain searched around for a logical conclusion.

What I loved about the interaction was that I wasn't the least bit ashamed of our Kids Say the Darndest Things moment either. In fact, when Aidan answered, my eyes met Robert's over Aidan's head and we were both stifling a giggle. Jack, on the other hand, was totally embarrassed and shuffled away immediately. In fact, I don't even remember him saying goodbye.

This is why I love my family. Our story is not perfect. We -- namely me -- have had a circuitous path, but all of us are completely content with where we're at right now.  And having our story told doesn't phase us in the slightest. Would I have offered that information as freely as Aidan? Of course not. But he's eight. And while I hope he learns a little restraint as he matures, I hope he's never embarrassed to tell the truth.