So this morning while rushing around like a chicken with my head cut off to get my kids ready for school and day care my daughter points to a picture and says:
"Mommy look, that isn't a very good idea, is it?"
So I slow down, panting, to look at the cover of a coloring book that depicts a caveman painting a flower on a dinosaur.
"You mean, it's dangerous to paint on a dinosaur?"
"Yes" she replied, "he might bite you"
So, in spite of the fact that we are late, and my son is spending 20 minutes on the potty reading "Calvin and Hobbes", I stop. I decided to have a conversation about the cover of this book.
Right there, Right then.
Then she giggles and says "It's just pretend, right?"
"Yes Carly, dinosaurs lived way before people did"
"Really? Were there babies?"
"No. Honey, no people at all"
"Were there houses?" "No"
"Were there buildings?" "No"
"Only sidewalks?"
"No honey, not even sidewalks"
Then she thought a bit while I began to grab my marbles again frantically for the coming day.
"No people? So there were only monkeys right? Monkeys and chimpanzees?"
Close enough for me.