Meditation debunked!

Me: Manya do you want to learn about meditation? How to meditate ?
M: No thank you.
Me: oh come on, you don’t even know what it is about. Its a very powerful tool. Lets do it.
M: okay, whatever. 
(She is only 5 but i resist the eye roll)
Me: okay, now forget everything only think about your breathing. The miracle of life with every deep breath. Focus on your inner self. You can keep your eyes open or closed - whatever helps.
M: nothing helps. This is absolutely ridiculous. I don’t have an inner self. I have only one self - myself.
Me: you goofball, if you have only one true self you don’t need meditation.
M: wonderful, can we focus on brownies for breakfast instead?

Parenting Lesson #789: Realism in art is passé

M: how’s my painting mom!
Me: it’s great - I love the tree. Have you seen trees like this before?
M: ofcourse not! This is from my imagination - it took me so long to think of something.
Me: wonderful! You can also draw inspiration from nature - like you know what you see?
M: what is inspiration?
Me: when you see or experience something and you like it so much that you want to replicate it - draw it, do it, be like it.
M: you mean copy? why should I want to draw something that already exists.
Me: inspiration is not copying. But forget that - what I meant was if you want to make real stuff or realistic stuff you can observe life around you?
M: no I don’t want to make realistic stuff. That’s boring. I don’t want to make something that’s already there - you can take a picture or just see it. I want to make stuff that nobody has seen before. That’s the whole point. Why should I show someone what they can see on their own.
Me: umm you might have a point there.
M: so how fabulous do you think my painting is.
Me: pretty fabulous!