Write down the questions you get asked. Because those moments of trying to figure out how to answer questions you NEVER thought you'd get asked? Those are at the heart of parenting.
Following my own advice, here's how today's episode of "Questions You Never Thought You'd Hear" went at our house:
D (our animal-loving, Harry Potter grooving, seven-year-old whose teacher keeps giving him books whose main characters have pets. Ahem.): Mommy, can I get a phoenix?
Me (sound of mental gears spinning): No, sweetie, I don't think they let people keep phoenixes as pets.
D (mildly affronted at the unfairness of it all): They don't? Why not?
Me (scrambling): I think because they're super special, and maybe a little hard to take care of. (Should have just stopped, but blundered on, introducing a tactical error into our exchange...) Sort of like you can't have a tiger for a pet.
D (trying to keep the concern for my mental impairment from showing up in his voice, and failing): Mommy. They don't let you keep a tiger for a pet because it could KILL YOU. (Thoughtful beat.) How about a bunny?
Image: Jannes Pockele, via FlickrSomeone else can explain to him about the "endangered by way of being mythological" nature of Phoenixes. He's already worried enough about the polar bears and gorillas.
2 comments:
Haven't checked in for a while, so here I am saying hi! Cute post. The last paragraph shows why you are a GREAT writer. By the way--that bunny is adorable! Hope you're having a good weekend!
Hello! It's T! Tell Dominic I want a phoenix, too, but my mom says it'll burn all the furniture :)
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