Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Dinosaurs vs. Wizards

Overheard in the Waffle car, on the way to preschool today:

Milo: Graham (his best friend) says that dinosaurs died in hot weather, but I don't think that's true.

R: I think you're right. But maybe he was talking about the thing that made them die out. (follow vaguely abbreviated lecture from mom about the meteor-hitting-earth-atmospheric-changes-followed-by-dinosaur-death theory).

Milo: I don't believe it was a meteor that did it. (Note the general tone is sooo skeptical. LOVE that kid!) Because meteors don't do that now.

(follow 2nd abbreviated, encapsulated and only substantially accurate lecture from mom about big-bang-theory,-planetesimals-and-why-massive-meteors-don't-hit-the-earth-anymore).

Milo gazed out the window for a minute or two. Possibly thinking about the pre-universe-all-matter-source-which-precluded-the-Big-Bang, which always gets me all amazed. Or possibly bored and/or overwhelmed by my double-barrelled lectures.

Then he said:

M: Mom, why don't some people believe in dinosaurs?

R: Hum. I don't know. My parents, your grandma  and grandpa F, don't exactly believe in dinosaurs, but I don't have a great answer as to why.

Milo: WHAT? GRANDMA AND GRANDPA DON'T BELIEVE IN DINOSAURS????!! That's CRAZY!?! Have they seen the bones??? What DO they believe in?

R: Um...(totally thinking hard about how to explain "God", creationism, a 7000-year-old earth theory, and the history of Mormonism and Christianity and the suppression of scientific thought to my smart, cynical 4.5 year old)...they believe that a, um, really powerful wizard made the earth and that dinosaurs aren't exactly part of the history of this earth.

M: Wait. They believe in a wizard but not dinosaurs????

R: Um...basically. Yeah.

M: WHY???

R: I don't exactly understand why, honey, even though I think about that all the time.

M: Even when I'm old, I'm going to believe in dinosaurs. NOT a wizard.

R: Sure. Remember, everybody has to decide what they believe in. Maybe when you are older you'll decide that a giant carrot made everything. And that's ok, right?

M: When I'm old, I'll still believe in dinosaurs. Not a wizard. Not a carrot.

 ...and that's FINE with me.

6 comments:

korin said...

oh how i love your family. :) esp the wizards!

Anonymous said...

Very cool, I will always believe in dinosaurs too. :)

Hedy said...

Ha ha ha! Awesome!

I need to call you!

-H

arwen said...

I used to think that way too....
but then I saw pictures of a little wizard in a pretty white dress riding a dinosaur and....

well now I just don't know WHAT to believe!

Lee said...

LOL! I believe in dinosaurs AND wizards ;)

Rebekah said...

Ha! But what about carrots?