The wonder of youth

I was walking my 5 year old son into preschool yesterday. He was eager to get inside in the hopes of being the first one in his class to arrive (this is an enormously huge deal when you're 5). As we stepped up onto the sidewalk another family got out of their car to head inside just in front of us. They had a little girl who had to be around 4.

My son takes one look at her and says (loudly, because its cool to be loud when you're 5) "Look at that baby! She's tiny!" His tone positively dripped a proud sense of superiority (you're not a baby when you're 5). Then the tiny diminutive person, seat of such wonder, performed a miracle even greater than that of existing with a smaller stature than that of a 5 year old. She spoke to her mother!

My son heard this (your hearing isn't mangled by headphones when you're 5) and he cried out in abject awe. His little voice so full of wonder that small mammals and birds darted out of the shrubbery to have a glimpse, he yelled, "AND, she can TALK!"

I felt such pride that my own son has not yet grown so world weary and cynical that he can't appreciate the wonder of an honest-to-goodness talking 4 year old. Next, we'll go looking for a surly and antisocial teenage boy! What joy!