Apocalypse Now?
Today's conversation in the car on the way to school:
Elijah: "Daddy, was there an earthquake last night?"
Neal: "There are always earthquakes."
"Then why don't I feel them?"
"They're little."
"Oh. So when is the world going to blow up?"
"Not for a long, long time."
"But I thought the world blew up and then life started."
"Yes, but that was a different kind of explosion. You see, there's this scientific term called entropy...um...anyway...everything's always being created and destroyed at the same time."
"So when the world blows up, are the dinosaurs going to come back?"
"No. The dinosaurs had their chance."
"What's going to happen to people?"
"Really, son, you don't have to worry about this."
"Are the pieces of the world going to come back together?"
"No."
"Then what's going to happen to them?"
"I don't know."
"And then the monkeys are going to turn into people?"
"That already happened."
"When?"
"A long time ago."
"But there are still monkeys."
"Yes."
"Are they going to turn into people?"
"Probably not."
"But when is the world going to blow up?"
"Not while you're alive. Everything's fine."
"Daddy?"
"Yes?"
"I'm scared that the world is going to blow up."
"The world is not going to blow up, OK?"
"And then the dinosaurs will come back?"
"I guess anything's possible."
"But how will they come back if the world blows up?"
"Can we talk about something else now?"
Comments
You shoul d have asked El who was on first.
Posted by: CD | January 12, 2007 6:45 AM
You dodged those bullets...sort of. When my oldest was 4 he got stuck on mortality issues closer to home: Every morning for a month he would ask "Is this the day?" wondering when exactly I would stop breathing. To which I replied as you did "Don't worry, it won't happen for a long time and by then you'll be able to reach the top shelf in the fridge and can make anything you want for lunch."
But it was a bit unnerving.
Gets you thinking...and all this before coffee.
Posted by: Liz | January 12, 2007 7:40 AM
So this is what I have to look forward to... Mine is 2, not yet to the "why" stage.
Enjoying your book. Started it at 5 a.m. after picking it up randomly in the parenting section of my local B&N. On page 81 and reading while I should be working. :D
Posted by: Joley | January 12, 2007 9:25 AM
Hey Neal, have you heard of this place? It sounds pretty awesome, brown bread ice cream? That's insane. Maybe it's nearby where you live in LA.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/aaEWX-LNLcbkiOvD_yxOIg
Posted by: jasmine | January 13, 2007 8:37 AM
Done, Jasmine. It's close enough to where I live. Today I had "Red Velvet Cake" and some kind of Chinese black tea flavor. Elijah ate chocolate tangerine and Regina had a special flavor to celebrate the 60th anniversar y of the Black Dahlia murder. It was made from yams, brown rice, and rosewater. And it all cost $7. Amazing.
Posted by: Neal Pollack | January 13, 2007 3:04 PM
So your saying my monkey won't turn into a human?
There goes that idea.
Posted by: creative-type dad | January 13, 2007 4:41 PM
Hi,
How do I contact you?
Posted by: Julie Anusevicius | January 13, 2007 6:50 PM
You get significantly further along in the "why" conversation than I do. At least, with a 2 1/2 year-old, I can just change the subject, and she usually doesn't notice.
Posted by: Jonathon | January 14, 2007 12:50 PM
Who has kids anyway?
Posted by: Jonas Angstbaum | January 16, 2007 8:04 PM