Future TV News Reporter

Sean had a friend from his class come over to play on Thursday. It's a boy we knew only limitedly before school started even though he lived on our street -- "lived" because his house was destroyed by a fire last spring. He and his family are living with his grandparents (fortunately still close to the school) until the house is gutted and rebuilt.

I fear that Sean, excited to have a friend over and apparently eager to prove himself an affable host, overwhelmed the poor boy within the first 20 minutes. A sampling:

So, do you like our house?
What are you going to be for Halloween?
So, do you like my costume?
Have you ever been Superman before?
Do you like our new refrigerator? It has the freezer on the BOTTOM!
So, do you play basketball? baseball? soccer? golf? kickball?
So, how many pieces to you like your grilled cheese cut into? My mom cuts mine into three pieces. What about you? Do you like just one piece?
Do you like Cars? What's your favorite car? Mine's Lightning McQueen! Here's our movie Cars! Do you want to play Cars? Which car do you want to be?

And then, graciousness was supplanted by the innocent insensitivity of a 5-year-old:

So, how come your house got blown on fire?
So, why did your dog die?
Why did the police car come to your house?
So, why are there boards still on your house?
So, where is your grandmother's house?
So, where do you sleep?

Fortunately, Sean's friend took all of these questions in stride. He didn't seem to be ruffled by them -- perhaps the events have receded so much that they are no longer as painful. Still, do you think it might be a good time to introduce Sean to the concepts of tact and sensitivity?