Elsie, the Realist

Lately, Elsie has taken notice that the television is full of things that are unlikely in the real world. The other night, we were watching t.v., and a commercial came on that had a tree walking around in it. I can't remember what the commercial was about...anyway, Elsie said, "Mommy, trees don't walk. That's silly!" This morning, she's watching Sesame Street, and she tells me that "animals just don't talk" and also "monsters aren't real."

I'm actually rather amazed that kids can differentiate between what is real and what isn't at such an early age without being told. Now, I know the monster thing has come up in the past so she's probably just recalling what she's been told in that case. But, observing that animals don't really talk and trees don't really walk is her own achievement.