I sit down for a chat with my eight year old...

Interviewed on February 2, 2016 (one day after officially turning eight.)

SSM: How does it feel to be 8?

HDM: Weird, cause your five year old sister is so hard.

What’s your favorite color?

Orange.

What are your favorite foods?

Brownies, macarons and the other kind of macaroons… and bushes [giggles]. I’m joking. You seriously didn’t write bushes did you? [I nod.]

So what are you favorite healthy foods?

Grapefruit and oranges. 

You favorite restaurants?

Um… let’s see, what is that place that cooks in front of you?

Hibachi!

Hibachi!

What are you passionate about? What do you love to do, or think about?

Art.

Sports?

Kung Fu.

What are you most excited about with turning eight?

Going to scouts.

What are you most concerned about?

Getting baptized.

How come?

Because well, cause I have to go to the Bishop’s office.

[We pause the interview and talk a little bit about the purpose of meeting with the Bishop. For those not familiar with the customs and rites-of-passage in the LDS Faith, one of the steps in being name eligible or named a “candidate” for baptism, to be included as an official “member” in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is to meet with your congregational leader (or Bishop, who holds a similar roll to a pastor as “Father” of the local church.) I tell him it’s not anything to be concerned over. One thing the Mormon are known for is trying to get as many people to ‘join’ the church as possible, and he (our Bishop) is going to do everything he can to help get Holden to become an official member. That seemed to assuage his fears. So we move on….]

What’s your favorite thing about Zoë?

 I don’t really know. She’s kind of mad at me all of the time….[now I giggle].

What do you like to do with her?

Whack toys, I’m joking. [Sees me typing his answer.] Noooo!

OK what then?

Um, playing legos.

Alright. What are some things you like about school?

Playing “Three Little Creatures.”  [I’m perplexed.]

What subjects?

[In German Accent] de zoology.

What does that mean?

Zoology.

And your favorite bands?

ACDC! And the Beastie Boys.

If you could see any show in the world, what would you see?

HAMILTON!

When you grow up what problems do you want to solve?

I want to destroy the wall… cause it’s baaad.

I’ve noticed your fascination with Gary Johnson of the Libertarian Party. Are you a libertarian?

I’m half libertarian.

Which half?

I think I’m like 80% Hillary Clinton and then another 80% whoever that guy is… did you seriously have to write “whoever that guy is?”

Anything you want to document about turning eight?

Watching Gremlins and Beetlejuice.