The 115-member papal conclave’s selection of a new pope, capturing the world’s attention, hasn’t been lost on little local ears.
After all, it was all over the TV, as more than one small fry pointed out to me Thursday morning when I came to call at Akron’s Our Lady of the Elms Preschool.
Some took an intense interest in the news of the selection of Argentina’s Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio as the new Pope Francis, while others — far more fascinated by St. Patrick’s Day goings-on, leprechauns and the Easter Bunny — took a more pedestrian approach.
Ellie Falb, 5, she with the bright yellow flower in her hair, could easily have passed as somewhat of a pope scholar as she waxed eloquent.
“The pope is a man of God,” Ellie softly announced.
“He does prayers of God. And he has his own way of saying the prayers,” she added thoughtfully. “He lives in a white castle somewhere with long, white curtains …
“He looks like an old man from God. He wears a long, white robe and has this white thing, like a hat, on his head. … He does all of this because he is a man of God.”
How did his path lead to becoming pope? I wanted to know. A confident and at times comedic Ellie did not disappoint.
“Well, when he was a really little boy, he was playing outside one day and he took a walk in the forest. That’s where he found God. … Actually, he saw a dark shadow following him and he asked, ‘Who are you?’ It was God and God asked, ‘Would you like to be one of my God men?’ ”
As we now know, that little boy must have answered in the affirmative, as Ellie continued with her imaginative — if not altogether accurate — account of the situation: “He answered, ‘Yes, I’ll go with God!’ And he did.”
Keith Milam, 5, a huge fan of the Soap Box Derby, proved he could be interested in both Derby Downs and the road to redemption as he weighed in on the pope news.
“He’s a good man who wears a white hat and a white suit,” Keith said, flashing a big smile. Why? “Because he’s the pope!”
Exactly what is the pope’s job? “His job is to keep people safe.”
Safe from what exactly? “Safe from people who make bad choices.”
Asked about the name Francis, Keith — suddenly a boy of few words — opined: “Nice name.”
Arden Powell, 4½, was brimming with pope stuff:
“He’s old, small, has white hair and likes wearing white clothes,” she said, waving her hands seemingly to underscore her knowledge of the subject.
What’s his job? “He’s the boss of the people!”
What do you suppose he was like as a little boy? “He read a lot of books, mostly about the church. He did his math. And he played Superman and pretended he could fly.”
Odin Meeker, 3, and Xavier Smith, 3½, copped to knowing about the new pope but didn’t seem too interested in sharing their knowledge, not on that subject anyway.
When Odin — who wore a bright-green derby with a green tie-dyed T-shirt emblazoned with a shamrock — was complimented on his attire, he gave credit to his mother with a slight correction: “My mom put this on me because it has hearts all over it. … My brother has a hat just like this but now he can’t find it. I guess he hid it from himself.”
Asked if he could have one wish granted to him, what it would be, Olin had this to say: “I would wish for a green doughnut!”
And your wish for your family? “Kisses. Lots of kisses!”
Then there were the dueling theories about the Easter Bunny. Of course, the bunny brings candy and colored eggs and sometimes hides the eggs, all agreed.
However, there was major disagreement between Keith and Xavier about whether the Easter Bunny is a boy or a girl.
Keith said the Easter Bunny “is definitely a boy. … I know it because I saw it in the movie theater and I heard it talk. It’s definitely a boy!”
Xavier vehemently but politely disagreed: “It’s a girl! I know that!”
When told that Keith has an opposite point of view, Xavier wasn’t the slightest bit deterred:
“It’s a girl,” he insisted. “He [Keith] doesn’t know a lot of things I know. Like I know how to make paper airplanes.”
Wanting to know more about what makes Xavier tick, I pressed on a variety of unrelated subjects.
Leprechauns? “They make a big mess, sprinkling green glitter all around. … But you’ve got to catch them to get that pot of gold!”
So what did you have for breakfast this morning? “Pancakes.”
How many? “Just one!”
Did you have coffee? “No. Kids don’t have coffee,” he sighed. “Anyway, I didn’t have anything to drink because I wasn’t thirsty.”
If you could have one wish granted to you, what would it be? “I would want a unicorn. A real one.”
Where would you keep it? “In the garage.”
And what would you feed it? “Pretzels and apple juice,” he said, as confident as if he’d just searched Google.
Sometimes, I’ve found over the years, when you’re dealing with kids who are as keenly in the know as these, well, you just have to agree to quit while you’re ahead.
Amen!
Jewell Cardwell can be reached at 330-996-3567 or jcardwell@thebeaconjournal.com.
