i can't wait to hear what he has to say when he learns what an insult is

As someone with a very sensitive sense of smell I had noticed that Henry didn’t seem to notice smells, good or bad, much as a young toddler. Recently though, as 4 approaches, his sense of smell has gotten quite keen. He asks, “what does it smell like?” multiple times a day. It could be lavender hand lotion I just put on, a flower in the yard or smoke from a nearby chimney. He is particularly interested in bad smells and the question is more of a demand. He is getting pretty good at discerning what he is smelling himself and often I think he just asks to make conversation of sorts. Then again, sometimes, not so much. Take this weekend:

H to J as they are getting into the car: What does it smell like?

J: I don’t know.

H: Cat pee. It smells like cat pee (note, we don’t have a cat, and Henry is allergic so he pretty much never spends time around cats).

J: Hmm. Really?

H (without so much as a hint of malice): No. Maybe it’s just your stinky breath.

God, I wish I had that on tape.