Why?

MY NEPHEW: Why?
 

ME: Because you’re my sister’s son. And I care about her.

MY NEPHEW: Why?

ME: Because I just do.

MY NEPHEW: Why?

ME: Because, I guess, when I was born, she was three years old and, like any younger sibling, I put her on a pedestal.

MY NEPHEW: Why?

ME: I probably idealized her, which is strange considering that your mom was not very nice to me.

MY NEPHEW: Why?

ME: She probably felt a mix of confusing emotions.

MY NEPHEW: Why?

ME: She was an only child, and when I came along she was forced to share everything.

MY NEPHEW: Why?

ME: We each had needs, and I think it was difficult for our parents to satisfy us both.

MY NEPHEW: Why?

ME: Because needs are so ephemeral. I think it was Maslow who said, “It’s a rare and difficult psychological achievement to know what we want.”
 

With my 21 month old niece staying with me the past few days, I was reminded of this humor piece for the New Yorker by Jesse Eisenberg.

Incidentally, while Eisenberg is an accomplished actor, I'm way more impressed with his body of writing for the New Yorker. I suppose that's largely because I think of him as an actor first, but being published under that banner is an accomplishment in and of itself.