Sulaiman takes Mandarin as a third language at his kindergarten. We’re coloring in his coloring book.
Sulaiman: Here Mama, you take hong se.
Me: What’s that?!
Sulaiman: Hong se Mama. Red color.
Me: Oh. Ok. Hong se.
Sulaiman: I take fenhong se.
Me: Wahong se.
Sulaiman: (laughing) What Mama?! Not wahong se. Fenhong se.
Me: Fahong se.
Sulaiman: Fen-hong-se.
Me: I don’t know.
Sulaiman: You so cute Mama. You just take hong se only.
Sulaiman: Mama… There’s a lizard in my room in our house!
Me: Oh yeah. He won’t hurt you, don’t worry.
Sulaiman: He want to eat Sulaiman!
Me: Noooo… He’s so small. Sulaiman is SOOOOO big. The lizard only eats mosquitoes.
Sulaiman: The lizard got no papa and no mama and no brother.
Me: Yeah, he’s all alone.
Sulaiman: The lizard is a baby.
Me: He is.
Sulaiman: The lizard is my friend.
Me: Ayub… stop touching yourself.
Ayub: No… I can’t… it’s stuck!
Me: It’s stuck? Does it hurt?
Ayub: No Mama! It’s just stuck…
Me: Oh. Well unstick it and stop touching.
Ayub: Mamaaaaa… You don’t know. You don’t have one.
Sulaiman: Yah. You don’t have one. Ayub and Sulaiman and Ayah have one!
Me: Okaaaay…
Ayub: Mama, you only have hair.
Sulaiman: What’s “black” in Bahasa, Mama?
Me: Black is hitam.
Sulaiman: Oh yeah. Black is hitam. And white is…
Me: Pu–
Sulaiman: Kitten.
Me: Kitten?!
Sulaiman: Yeah, like a baby cat.
Me: White is putih.
Sulaiman: No. Black is hitam. Red is merah. Orange is oren. And white is kitten.
(In my bedroom)
Sulaiman: Mama, can I have a vitamin?
Me: Sure baby…
(I open the vitamin bottle and give him one)
Sulaiman: Yay! Mmm! I like vitamin. Mama, can I have another vitamin?
Me: Just one a day baby. You can’t take so many.
Sulaiman: I want a vitamin!
Me: No. You can have another vitamin tomorrow. Ok?
Sulaiman: Okaaaay…
(I’m in the kitchen and I overhear a conversation from Mr Ninja’s Man-Cave)
Sulaiman: Ayah, can you help me?
Mr Ninja: Yup…
Sulaiman: Can you open this for me?
Mr Ninja: Ok.
(Sulaiman walks by the kitchen)
Me: Sulaiman… Did you take another vitamin?
Sulaiman: No I not take. Ayah give me.