Exhibit 5a | Creative Disobedience

There is this kid on my bus each morning who is completely sports crazed. He gets on the bus with his mom each morning and spouts off a non-stop stream of sports statistics, names, etc. He’s young, perhaps 6 years old, and apparently has great retention because he’s able to list off batting averages, player numbers, which players are more valuable than others and why…and his mom just smiles and nods. I assume that he’s either slightly autistic or has a dad who is really, really into sports. Occasionally his mother tries to change the subject, but if he wants to talk about sports, he talks about sports.
Since the end of baseball season he’s been pretty quiet about sports, and natters on about other stuff in addition to sports these days. I over heard a conversation this morning which made me laugh out loud.

Mom: Oh look honey, there’s the building that we used to live in. Remember? We lived on the 25th floor.

Kid: 25 is the number of Kerry Rhodes for the New York Jets. He’s the player of the year. Did you know that jellyfish shoot electricity out of their tentacles?

Mom: Yes, I saw that show you were watching on TV last night had jellyfish…

Kid: …shooting electricity out of their tentacles!

Mom: Well, that’s not exactly true…

Kid: it was on the show. You said you liked it. I love it, it’s my new favorite show.
Mom: That show isn’t real honey, it’s fiction. It’s a cartoon. Not everything you see on TV is real, and you should be able to tell the difference between what is true and what isn’t.

Kid [sounding offended]: Mom, it’s true that jellyfish can sting you, and it’s not true that they go to birthday parties. Duh.

*pause*

 Kid [very quietly]: I think I love you more than you love me.