Of Bugs and Other Icky Things

Tonight, when we were outside:

Me: "Edie, don't touch those bushes. They're full of spider webs."

Edie: "Do bugs live in there?"

Me: "Spiders live there, yes."

Edie: "Are spiders bugs?"

Me: (Choosing NOT to delve into the differences between arachnids, which have eight legs and are NOT, technically, bugs. She is just five, after all.) "Yes."

Edie: "What other kinds of bugs are there?"

Me: "Well... spiders. Ants. Bees. Wasps. Aphids. Grasshoppers..."

Edie: "Vampires?"

Me: "Well, vampires are icky, but they're not bugs."

"Yeah, that's what I meant."

So today I overheard Owen telling something this: "So you know, (Insert name of teacher here) isn't coming back to our school next year."

"Why is that, Owen?"

"Because, um... Barack Obama? He's getting rid of all the republicans."

Blink. Blink. I decided to interject: "Uh, well.... that's not exactly true. The state of California doesn't have any money, which unfortunately means that some really great teachers don't have jobs this fall."

"Yeah, that's what I meant."