My five-year-old daughter is always saying things that amazes me. Whether it's remembering something I said five months ago and holding me to it; or simply just outwitting me....she is constantly keeping me on my toes.
Our entire household got sick with Influenza A, one of the nastiest viruses I've ever had. We'd been housebound for almost a week, so Callie was naturally about to go crazy. She's an outdoor girl; she wants to be running and burning off energy every chance she gets.
"Mom, can we got to the pool?" She asked me after watching Kung Fu Panda for the fifth time.
"No, we can't go honey because we are sick. But, daddy and I know how much you love sharks, and we were talking the other day about taking you and your brother to Atlantis. It's got a huge waterpark where one of the water slides actually goes through the shark tank!" I was hoping this would give her something to look forward to, no matter how far in the future this trip might actually be.
She thought about it for a moment before saying, "Mom, sharks think we are seals when we are in the ocean right, and that's why they eat humans?"
Oh lord; too many Discovery channel shows, I thought. "Yes honey, but we wouldn't actually be swimming with the sharks, so they couldn't bite us. The slide goes through the tank, but it's enclosed so the sharks are on the outside of where you slide."
By the confusion on her face, I knew I wasn't getting through. "I'm not so sure about that idea mom. Let me think on it."
She sat there for a few more minutes, quiet, before piping up-"Mom, I've got it, I've got it! Lets all buy shark costumes!"
It took me a moment to register what she was saying....and then all I could think was, cha-ching! Have any of these undersea divers who want to learn about sharks thought about this before? Hello! Then I realized, either way, my five-year-old is entirely too smart for her own good. I can only hope this will bring good things for her future, even if it means trouble for her father and I until then! ~Trina
