You ask your daughter, “Honey, how did you come to be on the internet in the first place? Were you using my computer?.”
She tells you, “No, I was at school. There’s this really cool fifth grade science teacher who talks about herpetology – that’s the study of snakes – and this website called Steemit.”
“But you’re in second grade. How would you be talking to a fifth grade teacher?”
“I got to talk to him because he’s being the librarian while the librarian is out having surgery. She had apennacider. I went up to the desk to check out a book about snakes and he asked me about it. I was telling him how cool I thought snakes were and he had a laptop where he showed me this wild man on a site called Steemit who lives in the country and keeps showing everyone pictures of different snakes and describing them and everything.”
“You learned all that from one website?”
“Yeah, and wait till I tell you about cryptocurrencies!”
At this point your head is reeling and you truly look at your daughter for what seems like the first time.
“Cryptocurrencies!” Your daughter nods.
“Honey, we’re going to enroll you in a Gifted and Talented program as soon as possible. And how would you like to go down to the herpetology center at the zoo this weekend and see all the snakes?”
“Can we really, Daddy?! That would be amazing! Thank you!”
You hug your daughter and then open the door for your older child, who is now rolling his eyes uncontrollably. You give him a warning look not to make fun of your daughter.
“Sure, we can. But first I need you to tell me how to get onto this Steemit thing. Can you show me how to get on and where this wild man is? What is Steemit anyway?”
Your son says, “Hey Dad, I can show you. She may know about stupid snakes and all, but I know about Steem and all the cryptocurrencies!”
“No fair! Daddy asked me,” says the girl.
“That’s okay. How about you both show me as soon as we get home. “
The four of you ride in silence on the drive back from the country, each lost in their own thoughts, you and your wife now and then exchanging looks of amazement, followed by confused shrugs.
As you make the turnoff to your street, your son asks in a small voice from the back, “Daddy, can I come with to see the snakes this weekend?”
Your daughter looks like she’s about to object, but then, looking at her brother she says, “Yes, Daddy, let’s all go.”
You look at your wife and smile, “Sounds like a plan.”
You don’t know how all this happened, but you know one thing. This family could never be called boring.