A Conversation with Bean

Last night we were driving home, along a dark highway. The skies were clear and the stars were bright- fodder for the imagination....
After a few moments of quiet, Bean pipes up and says
"Mama, I have something to say."
M: Ok Bean what have you got?
B: WWWWEEEELLLLLL......
M: Yes?
B: What I want to do is to get on a big, shiny Rocket Ship with Mama, Papa and Bean and I want to go way up high and go to the stars. Doesn't that sound wunnerful?
M: (astounded) OH YES! Evelyn that does sound wonderful.
B: Mama if we got up there in our Rocket Ship would we fall right back down or would the wind keep us up there long enough to touch the stars?
M: Well, we would have to use our big rocket ship engines to get us up there but once we were up there, we could just use little engines to float, float, float up there with all of the stars.
B: Mama, I really want to do that, when can we do that?
M: We won't be able to do that for awhile, we don't have a rocket ship.
B: Oh. Well, Mama? Have you ever touched a star?
M: No I have never been able to, but it would be so great,I can just imagine it.
B: I have touched one, alot of stars!
M: You did? That's great! What did they feel like?
B: after a few seconds.....CHEESE!
M: Cheese?!?!?! (while laughing of course)
B: after much consideration...NO! Not cheese they feel like, you know that scratchy stuff on trees (bark), like that but they are a little bit hot and a little bit bright but you wouldn't need sunglassses.

That's my girl. She has a mind full of imagination and wonder and this mind can, I guess, just spontaneously figure out certain rudimentary concepts of the mechanisms of flight because, well, neither I, nor Les have ever talked about rocket ships versus earth bound flight with her. Actually I have never even talked about Outer Space with her, silly me, I was waiting until she has the concepts of different states and countries down before I talked about planets and galaxies. I think it's amazing how kids can just bust through the walls we put up around them, how we think they are only able to understand so little , when they actually understand so much. I guess I will pull out some of Leslie's Astronomy books and let her get a good look at some stars.