The musings of children

I was sitting on a lawn chair in my back yard reading a book this afternoon enjoying the warmth of the sun. As I completed a chapter and put the book down for a minute to contemplate, my thoughts were interupted by the banter of some neighborhood children. I couldn't see the children, but their voices seemed to be coming from some houses on the street behind my house. I am also guessing that they were two girls about 4 years in age.

The first quip that caught my attention was when the first girl pronounced, "It's mine, I bought it because I am rich". The thought of a 4 year old girl understanding what it meant to be rich seemed both disturbing and amusing at the same time. Even more amusing though was the second girls response a few minutes later. The two conversations seemed to be disconnected but apparently the second girl was continuing on a thread started by the first when in response to a question that I didn't actually hear she responded, "No, I'm not rich. I'm pretty". As if "Rich" and "Pretty" were two inexorable opposites in which one could choose to be one or the other but not both.