At dinner a few nights ago, my oldest daughter offers this bit of wisdom:
S (6 years old): Daddy, if there was a giant here, his little finger would be as big as you.
Me: Wow, that's big! How big do you think his foot would be?
S: As big as the table!
Me: Can I ask you another question?
S: (with big wide eyes in anticipation... or suspicion) OK.
Me: If there was a fairy here, how big would her little finger be?
S: (after some thought) As big as my finger nail.
L (3 years old): Ask me one, Daddy!
Me: OK, How long is a mermaid's tale?
L: (thinking, thinking... grabs a fork) This long!
At this point I'm a little confused. L loves mermaids and has a good idea what they look like and how big they are. I'm not sure why she has chosen a small fork to represent her tail.
Then some magic happens! She pulls her milk cup over and explains:
L: If this (cup) is the mermaid, then this (fork) would be her tail.
She has created her own scale model using her place setting. And S (never to be outdone) has her own frame of reference:
S: If the mermaid was 6 years old, her tail would be as long as my legs.
I thought that was a good place to stop. I was wrong.
L (my wife, ___ years old): How come I don't get a question?
Me: If there was a dragon...
