Aliens Hate Carrots!

Yesterday morning around 5am Kara showed up in our room having had a nightmare and needing the safety of Mama and Daddy. Yesterday afternoon Kara shared with me what had frightened her. In a nightmare she had Sunday night she and Thom were coming home from somewhere when a white eagle appeared with a letter telling her an alien would be living outside her bedroom window for a year. Evidently the dream ended with her running down the hall in our house trying to get away from the people-eating alien monster. This was very upsetting for Kara. Despite my best efforts to assure her that we know of no other life forms in the universe and particularly no people-eating monsters, she was still quite upset. While I was cooking something for dinner she was curled up on the couch hiding under her favorite lovey blanket not even watching the video I had put on for her and Caleb.

As I was peeling a carrot and wondering if she wanted a piece, I was struck by a moment of Mommy Genius. I walked into the living room with a small piece of carrot and said to Kara "Honey, I have a secret weapon for you. Imaginary aliens hate carrots! Would you like this?" She grabbed it right out of my hand and starting eating it, asking "What else do they hate, Mama?" "Well," I went on "they hate all healthy foods. Meat. Vegetables. Anything good for you. They can sense that it's in your body and they stay away!"

Either she bought it or she enjoyed the make-believe -- either way she scarfed down a banana, a carrot and an apple within the hour! On they way to her ballet lesson she asked what the aliens thought about ballet and tap. To which I replied "They hate it! Don't want anything to do with it. Too loud!"

Over the course of the evening we learned that aliens hate ballet, tap, healthy food and children who do their homework. They are especially repelled by imagination-oriented pretend play such as playing with Legos or Barbies, but they are attracted to the playing of video games, the watching of too much television and the eating of Halloween candy! So, one must be very careful to ward off imaginary aliens by eating lots of good healthy food, doing lots of homework and playing with actual toys.

At one point she asked what kills them? I said eating healthy food. To this she replied "Mama, We're going to have dead aliens all around." I answered - Nope. They disappear when they die!

Tonight I'm going to tell her what happens to aliens when children READ! I think it might involve shrieking, running away and never, EVER coming back!