A Conversation with Charlie (Age 4) About Home Security

ACT 1

HIM: Dad, I have an idea for what we should do if there's a robot in the house that's smashing everything.
ME: Okay.
HIM: We should get a bulldozer made out of cardboard.
ME: And what would...ah...how would that help? Would it crush the robot?
HIM: No, it would move the robot into a barrel of leaves so the robot would stop smashing the house apart.
ME: Full of leaves?
HIM: Wait! No! Not full of leaves! Because I want the robot to have room to run around.
ME: In the barrel.
HIM: Yeah. We don't have anything remote controlled.
ME: No. Should we get some things like that?
HIM: (after some consideration) Yes.

ACT 2 (fifteen minutes later)

ME: Why does the bulldozer need to be cardboard?
HIM: We don't know anyone who has a real bulldozer. It wouldn't fit in our house.
ME: But a cardboard one would?
HIM: Well we could try.
ME: If it's a robot smashing your house, you try anything right?
HIM: Yeah.