Pete’s newest word is “horsey.” He first used it two days ago to correctly identify a Fisher Price toy. Yesterday, he picked up a stuffed giraffe and said “Horsey!”

Jenny corrected him. “It’s not a horsey,” she said sweetly. “It’s a zebra.”

Later, I took the three little ones to the grocery store. Jenny brought a headband with reindeer antlers on top. She asked if she could bring the “binoculars” in the store.

Katie corrected her. “They’re not binoculars, Jenny. Binoculars are what you use when you go swimming.”

I sat there in silence pondering that one. After a minute, she said, “Oh, no. Those are goggles.” I’m really glad we cleared that one up.

Some days, I feel superfluous, much as Danielle Bean described earlier this month. Other days, well, zebras are spotted and deer are prized for their nice goggles, and I know I’ve got a long way to go with their education.