Dead Squirrels and a Dose of Common Sense from the Younger Crowd

When I got home this evening, our babysitter diligently advised me of some mysterious animal mishaps in the neighborhood - a dead beaver up the street, and a dead squirrel in our own backyard.  She seemed concerned that there might be a pattern to these misfortunes, because she is naive.  Because I am also naive, I worried that the dogs might try to eat the squirrel in our front yard.  This is probably a classic case of confusion of cause and effect.

But the children are not naive.

Madeleine informed me that the dogs killed a squirrel.  Someone - I have mercifully forgotten which child, but probably her or Daniel, also told me that Ruthie was licking it.  And Ian was talking as if the dogs' culpability in this death was common knowledge.  So I asked him whether there was any compelling reason to presume that the dogs were behind the rodent's demise:

"Yes, there is."

Why is that?

"Dogs chase squirrels, and Rupee's a hunting dog, and all dogs like meat."

This is the kind of reality check that we get from our children, that keeps us from retiring indefinitely to our happy grown-up inner world of rainbows and fairies.

(June 1, 2012)