What can children do during a national lockdown?

Ela Vasilescu — The dinosaur choir

My daughter placed all of her dinosaurs on the carpet the other day. She then organized them. The Pterodactyl rode on the back of the Triceratops, its wings wide open. All the others, their names I cannot conceive, awaited in front of a giant T-Rex. We had just finished the ‘Jurassic’ series (what else can one do in times of national lockdown), and I believed she was recreating a scenario from one of the movies. I asked her permission to take a picture of her perfect assembly. She agreed and moved away, but urged me to do it quickly because the dinosaurs have an important mission to accomplish. ‘It’s a matter of life and death.’ She said. I hurried, then retreated on the couch intrigued by the mission. I imagined wars being started; I imagined world domination; I imagined mass destruction. She laid down on her belly, next to the T-Rex, and shouted the first command: ‘Guys, you need to do exactly what I tell you, and maybe we have a chance!’ She paused to make sure all the creatures obeyed. Then, as I raised my eyebrows expecting some sort of imaginary violence to occur, she extended her index finger to the Pterodactyl and shouted: ‘Now, you in the back, start singing!’ My jaw dropped, as the dinosaurs began dancing and singing, manipulated by my daughter’s fingers.

Children are amazing. Children are resilient. Children see the…