It’s the annual kids’ takeover edition and the Johnson boys are ready to wow you with their general knowledge and humor. I type what they say and do minimal editing on these articles.
I’ll set the scene. It’s a Monday night. We are in the kitchen. I bring out my computer as the kids eat their nutritious PB&J sandwiches for dinner. I decided about a week ago that I would pose them with one question – What would you do if you were the Mayor of Owensboro for the day? I had them thinking about this for a week or so, and I knew Henry had some big ideas. I decided to let him go first purely based on the fact he was already pacing up and down the kitchen floor, rubbing his hands together as he prepared to give me the details of his new government structure.
Henry, age 9
First everybody would want to get rid of me because I’m 9 years old. But I’d stay, and I would make people happy by focusing more on Uptown. I would do this by fixing the potholes in Uptown.
I’d make new jobs for sand diggers. They dig up sand and when they find moisturized sand, they throw it in a squisher, which separates sand and water and turns it into clean water. Then we would have more jobs and more clean water.
I’d make more trains and more ways from the Ohio River to other places so transportation and getting cargo would be faster. I would make it so every crosswalk instead of being a few lines on the road, it would be a bridge that goes up sixteen feet for people to walk on. That would make it safer for people and faster for cars.
After doing that, I would call my secret service agents to get me a banana split. Instead of going to school I’ll go to middle school classes. At the end of the day, I will tell my secret service agents to block all the people that want to be Mayor in Owensboro so I can stay Mayor. After that I’d lay in my bed that is 200 feet wide and 200 feet long and adopt all of the animals in the animal shelter and they could sleep in my bed with me.
I was very proud of Henry on this one! We might have a future politician on our hands!
I then moved on to Simon, who was listening to everything Henry said. I posed the same question to Simon. His answer might surprise you.
Simon, age 6
If I was a painter, everything I would paint is tacos and for everybody in the world. I would make a lot of money and I would give it out to people that are homeless. And uh, I would paint everything in the house and in the backyard. And in my kitchen and my room too. People wouldn’t like me because I’m just six, I would make paintings for people and make Domino’s pizza better. And I would make people have one law they could break and it’s going over the speed limit. But only by a little bit.
(He held up his little fingers and showed me how much a little bit is.)
Simon then let me know he was finished with his part. It had been a long day and he needed to rest. His brain was tired of thinking.
Another year, another takeover. Thanks to Owensboro Parent for providing my boys with this fantastic opportunity. Have a great one!
