A Horse That Can Run Really, Really Fast

Today, I have had an ongoing conversation with Kyle about what he wants to ask Santa to bring him for Christmas.

"A horse" he said.
"A horse?"
"Yes. I want a horse that can run really, really fast."
"Well, I don't think we have enough room here for a horse. Plus, a horse costs a lot of money."
"It's ok. Horses like to live outside. We can keep him out there. (he points to our lanai)
"Well, first of all, I don't think the screen is strong enough to hold in a horse and second, I don't think he would have nearly enough room to run. Especially if you want a fast horse. Don't you think a fast horse would need room to run?"
He laughed at me and threw his head back like I was crazy. "Mom! He wouldn't run in there. I would take him for a walk."

This seemed logical to him. Now, normally I wouldn't mess with the list of things that my children want to ask Santa for. That is their decision. However, I didn't want Kyle to spend the next month thinking he had a chance at getting a horse on Christmas morning and be crushed when he woke up and....(shocker!) no horse. So we spent all morning off and on discussing why it was an impossibility for him to own a horse. By the time we went to get Mikaily off the bus he had finally dropped the conversation.

When we go out to the bus stop we stand right beside a small chunk of a nature preserve. So, there are pretty big tress and thick undergrowth. Evan started asking me what kind of animals lived in there. Monkeys? Tigers? Lions? I told him no, to all of the above. Kyle then asked what kind of meat eaters lived in there. I told him probably some alligators and there was always the possibility of a Florida panther being in there.

"Do alligators live in Ohio?" he asked.
"Nope."
"What about panthers? Do they live in Ohio?"
"Nope. No panthers either."
"What kind of meat eaters live in Ohio?"
"There are bears in Ohio."
"Ohhhh, bears are big, aren't they?"
"Yes, some bears are big. Some bears are small, too."
"What if a bear came and knocked on the door?"
"Ummm, well I think if a bear knocked on the door I wouldn't open it."
"But what if the bear ripped open a hole in the door and ate Alaina and Devyn. That would make me so sad because I would miss them."

I laughed a little at this absurd thought process, but played along.

"Yes, I think I would be really sad too."
"And then Jill wouldn't have any baby. And she would cry at her house and everyone at our house would cry too."
"I don't think you need to worry about that buddy. No bear is going to get Alaina or Devyn. Ok?"
"Can a bear run really fast?"
"Yeah, I think bears can run pretty fast when they want to."
"Do you think a bear can run faster than a horse?"
"Well, if I had to guess...? I would say a horse could probably go a little faster than a bear."
"So, if we had a horse, then I could jump on the horse and grab the babies and run away from the bear and he couldn't get them. So I think we need to tell Santa about the horse."


Hmmmmmmm, I think I smell a sales career in this kids future!