We went to the lake in the afternoon. The weather was beautiful—sunny and calm, without a breath of wind. We could already feel spring in the air! We spent a long time skimming stones across the water, and when we finished playing, Aliya (6 yo) asked me:

“Mum, are you a child or an adult?”

“A child,” I replied quickly, thinking about how I’d just been playing with my whole heart like a child.

“Yes, you are a child!” she exclaimed joyfully

“Why do you think I am a child?”

“Because you have a mum. You have parents.”

“And what if I didn’t? If they weren’t alive?”

“You’d still be a child, because someone gave birth to you. Someone always gives birth to everyone. We are all children.”