It's Just A Word

Mister Man got a Webkinz for his birthday last year. I sort of didn't really get it, I mean he was only four and we didn't use the computer much except for Starfall periodically. In mid-November last year, I finally signed up for Webkinz.

Oh, it's cool. For him, really. I don't mean for me. I would never log on just to play the games myself or anything like that. He needs the Kinzcash. You know, so he can take the classes and get higher levels. And if you don't log in for a few days, the garden dies. He loves it. Really.

Actually, he really does enjoy Webkinz. Especially Ant Mania, which is a game I detest. Gardening and the Gem Hunt and other things are also on the high list, I suppose. Unfortunately, we usually only remember to log on and play together once a week or once every other week.

So it's up to me. I try to do my duty when I remember. And recently, I remembered that it was pretty close to a year since we'd first signed up. Actually, it was pretty hard to forget, as they sent near-daily reminders to re-up.

Luckily, we've since gotten new Webkinz. It wasn't on purpose, but when a very nice man who owns the local Learning Express gives one to Mister Man just because, how do you say no?

We now officially have two Webkinz on the same account, which is sorta cool. When you're in a room, you can see both of them. Like I said... sorta cool. The actual stuffed animals are treasured friends of Mister Man's. Like all our pets, he's named them. And like all his friends, they're boys -- regardless of whether they're named Tinkerbell or Rosie or Donald.

Mister Man hadn't played the game with me since I added DonaldLeopard (named after the Thomas train, of course). When we logged on last night, we played our usual games but he kept putting off gardening. Finally, he agreed to garden, which is where we'd finally see DonaldLeopard.

When we entered the room, he saw the other guy there. The smaller one, because DonaldLeopard is a L'il Kinz.

Mister Man: Mommy, who's that?
Me: Who do you think it is?
Mister Man: Is it DK's mother?
Me: Mmmm, nope. Isn't this one littler? Who does it look like?
Mister Man: I don't know. It looks like another cat.
Me: Look closely, Kiddo.
Mister Man: Is it DK's little sister?
Me: Mmm, you're close. Does it look like anyone you know?
Mister Man: Oh, oh, OH! It's DONALDLEOPARD!
Me: You're right, Mister Man.
Mister Man: So it is his sister!
Me: Umm, isn't DonaldLeopard a boy?
Mister Man: Oh yeah, right. It's his boy sister.

Gender, we've got down. In abstract anyway.