"Mom, I just don't get this," Jacob said.

"What?" I asked.

Jacob brought over his copy of The Light And The Glory by Peter Marshall and sat beside me.

"This book starts out with Christopher Columbus being a good guy who loves God," he said, "but now Christopher Columbus is turning into a greedy bad guy. Which was he?"

"Interesting question," I said. "You've read other books about Christopher Columbus. What do they say about him?"

"Well, most books say he's a good guy. Some books say he's a bad guy. But I've never read a book that says he's both a good guy and a bad guy."

"What about Napolean? Was he a good guy or a bad guy?"

"Most of the time he's a bad guy. Sometimes if the book is just about the wars, he's a good leader."

'What does Diana Waring say about him," I asked.

"She says he's about average, good in some ways, bad in others," he answered.

"What about George Washington? What about King George?" I asked.

"The same. Some books say that George Washington was pretty bad, but most say he was great. Almost all books say King George was near crazy and not good to the colonists, but some say he was a good king in a bad position," Jacob answered.

"So...what do you think?" I asked.

"I don't know what to think," he said. "I read the books to find the answers, but it seems like all they do is make me more confused. Everyone has a different opinion."

"Aha! Exactly!" I said, as I got up to go finish the dishes.

"Mooom!" Jacob said in frustration. "Was Christopher Columbus a good guy or a bad guy? I just want to know!"

"Just keep reading and asking questions. You'll figure it out."

"You're not being any help at all," he said, frustrated.

"You have no idea," I said, smiling at him.

I love teaching.