Drugs

So I've written a lot lately about the beauty of reading. The wonders of Caroline reading chapters books on her own, Katherine being motivated to do the same, the girls sharing their love of reading... Today, I was reminded that even beautiful growth comes with challenges.

On the way home from her art class today, Caroline began reading the pizza box that held her oil painting. Apparently, oil paints takes forever to dry and pizza boxes are a great way to transport a wet canvas. "Oven fresh pizza. God Bless America. Come Back Soon! Say no to drugs." If I was a good whistler, I would have whistled. Perhaps that would have distracted the question I knew was coming. "Mommy, what are drugs?" I did the best I could to explain the differences between drugs that help sick people get better and the other kind. I tried to compare the bad kind to cigarettes. While the cigarette thing distracted her a bit, the next question was, "Mommy, why would any one smoke cigarettes if they are bad for you? Maybe the person who invented them didn't know they were bad."

And now I'm off to remind myself that I still love the fact that Caroline can read anything she gets her hands on...