that "talking thing" is a conversation!

my RADical em asked a funny (kinda) question today after church. we were walking out with a friend and my friend saw another friend and stopped and had a typical conversation. i thought nothing of it of course, but i guess em was pondering it.

mom, how do grown-ups do that talking thing?
what talking thing?
you know where they start talking and just keep doing it.
you mean a conversation?
i don't know, just where they start talking and keep talking and don't stop.
(realization dawns... she doesn't know) oh honey, that's called a conversation. people do that because they care about each other. they want to know how the other person is doing so they say hi, ask questions, and talk about how they are. you'll get better at that as you learn how to love and let people love you. it's really fun.
oh.

it's hard to fathom not having the understanding that seems so basic of caring about others. it feels good when someone cares about you and asks about your week, although to em, it's more like a test i guess. what answer are they expecting me to give so i get this right and stay safe? she's pretty inconsiderate, but not to be rude, she just really doesn't know. and that's a hard thing to teach. we've modeled it for years now, but maybe one day it'll rub off.