Dinosaurs are becoming more interesting to you, and more than likely because a couple of little boys in your preschool class were pretty promotional about them.
"I'm a dinosaur and I can eat you because you are only a train."
Truer words have rarely been spoken in that class.
I can only pray we move on from the trains and diggers and graders of yesteryear onto something new. That's if you can call extinct animals new. But I'd happily talk about iguana dung at this point if we could stop discussing all the things a dump truck can carry.
To prepare you for Drumheller, your dad took you to the library to get some books about dinosaurs. I sat down with you that afternoon to look through the new treasure trove of information and stories. You brought me the book you most wanted to read, curled up beside me and I started to read the cover to you.
Giant Meat-Eating Dinosaurs.
Now, I'm your mom and I know there are certain things in this world that disturb you. Like ketchup. And cheese. And watching Thomas shows where he gets trapped in a dark tunnel. And any show where an owl appears. So, I was fairly certain that the true story of giant meat-eating dinosaurs was not going to work for you. No way. No how.
"Did you even LOOK at these books before you got them?" I asked your dad.
"Ummm. Sure?" he replied, so utterly full of confidence.
"Yeah. Well, dinosaurs ripping the flesh from other dinosaurs doesn't strike me as particularly kid friendly for this child who IS AFRAID OF OWLS," I pointed out.
However, you were determined you wanted to learn more about dinosaurs. From this book and none of the others you had got. And so I proceeded to tell you a very nice and loving story of dinosaurs who liked to jump on each other and play tag and sleep quietly beside the river while their dinosaur friends stood around them with mouths all red from the yummy cranberry juice they had all just enjoyed together.
And now, don't you wish you were a dinosaur?
Oh, Jack. How I enjoy those moments you challenge me to think on my feet. I'm sure there is a parenting expert out there who would tell me to explain to you in terms you would understand what was going on. And I wanted to, Jack, I wanted to. But I just couldn't bring myself to tell you the truth. Not just yet. When you returned from Drumheller with your newly acquired Tyrannosaurus Rex, you excitedly explained to me how he ate other dinosaurs and how his friend, the Triceratops, ate plants. And that is all we need for now, right? We'll make our way into the circle of life a little later, but for now, it's nice to just live in a world where dinosaurs love each other and celebrate the end of the day with berry beverages. Sometimes, the pretend world with you is the nicest part of my world.
Love,
Your Momma
