On world events

Calvin crept down the stairs, still sleepy in an over-sized T-shirt and settled into my lap at the breakfast table. He was the first one up. Winter's final snowflakes were dusting everything outside our windows with fine powdered sugar. I wrapped my sweater-covered arms around has bare ones.

"Why don't you read the Kids Post," I said, scooting the newspaper in front of him.

I rose from the table to start a load of laundry and fry eggs, not half expecting Calvin to give his attention to "The Conflict in Crimea: What's it About?" at just after 7 a.m.

A few minutes later, I returned to the table with a plate of eggs over-medium, toast with jam and a bunch of grapes.

"Mama," Calvin said, picking up a fork. "Russia and Ukraine are fighting over who should have Crimea and I think it should be Ukraine, because isn't Russia already a huge country?"

"Well yes. You're right about that. That's one way of looking at it."

Surprised that he actually had read and considered the article, I now felt I hadn't properly prepared to have a thoughtful political discourse with my 6-year-old while I spread peanut-butter over bread for his sack lunch.

Thankfully he did most of the talking.

"Mama, it was in 1954, when Crimea moved next to Ukraine and became a part of it."

"Well, it didn't exactly move, like Pangaea,  but yes, they became part of that country then."

Thoughtful silence...

"Mama, I wish we could live at a place where we only had to go across a little ocean to visit where all of our family was, like Grandma and Grandpa, Aunt Stephanie, Nana, Grandpa Vic, Tio and Tia, Andrew and Alex."

"OK, well, I guess that's kind of how people in Crimea don't have to travel far to visit family in Russia or Ukraine."

" ...and then, an island can move between us and we could just drive there."

"That would be fantastic."

Then Calvin pierced a yolk with his fork and I felt reassured that even after considering serious world events his boundless imagination is still very much  intact.