A little bit of beauty

Today in the car, Max said, "Mom, I just saw a lady in another car that looked just like you."

"Oh really? Was she beautiful?"

"No."

I laughed, and he smiled, trying to figure out the joke.

"All girls are beautiful," he added quickly.

I agreed and wondered who had coached him on that point. It can only serve him well in the years to come.

"What does beautiful mean?" he asked.

These are the moments I especially love about having a five-year-old. If an adult asked that question, it most likely would be rhetorical. But he absolutely meant it. He's a fluent speaker of the English language, and yet some of the most basic words and concepts are new to him. He has not yet formed an opinion about beauty. How wonderful. What adventures await!

My off-the-cuff answer was, "When something is beautiful, it's nice to look at. What do you like to look at?"

He said, "Papa. I like to look at pictures of Papa and at Papa because I love Papa."

"I like to look at lots of things--at flowers, the sky, mountains, colors, trees, home, and you and Maggie. You guys are my favorite things to look at."

"Wow, you have lots of things," said Max. "I only have one."

Yep. If you're keeping track, that was the second time I didn't make the "beautiful" cut. I let the subject drop.

If you were talking to my five-year-old, how would you define beauty?