FRO 2012: BWA

When I was little, like around five or six, I was legitimately and completely obsessed with dinosaurs. I was, other than that, your typical girl. I loved Barbies, princesses, playing dress-up, and all things girly, but nothing compared to my love of dinosaurs. I thought they were literally the coolest things ever. And I can’t blame myself, honestly, what’s cooler than a T-Rex? Not much. Right next to my doll house was my huge container full of little dinosaurs. Triceratops, Stegosaurus, Brontosaurus, Velociraptor, Pterodactyl…. I had them all. You name it, I could tell you how big it was, what it ate, and it’s favorite color. I was obsessed with where they came from, why they died out, and what animals still here today evolved from them. When people asked me “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I would respond, “a paleontologist!”, like it was completely normal. I was obsessed with the Natural History Museum’s dinosaur wing, I loved the huge mold in the lobby, and the little room that let you walk right on top of a dinosaur skeleton. After like a year, I grew tired of all my dinosaurs and passed them down to my little brother, who got great use out of them too. I got tired of dinosaurs in general, and I continued playing with my Polly Pockets and dolls as usual. Kids go through phases a lot, so one weird, Dinosaur-crazy phase doesn’t seem like it meant that much. And, while I still always had a healthy appreciation for dinosaurs since they’re so awesome, after my phase ended I don’t think I ever gave them much thought. This made it even more of “just a phase”, and I never thought twice about why I was so obsessed with them. But this summer, that all changed. I babysit for three awesome kids, and I took two of the boys this summer to the Natural History Museum, secretly mostly for my own enjoyment, because that place never ceases to be amazing. While walking through my former absolute favorite room (now it’s the Hall of African Mammals), one of the boys told me that he loves dinosaurs and that he was so excited to see them. I told him I used to love them too. He asked me why I stopped being obsessed with them, and I said I wasn’t sure. Being a seven year old with a ton of questions, he then asked what it was I used to like most about them. I gave him some BS answer, like how big or scary they were. I then asked him why he liked them so much, and he said “Because they look like they are from a movie, they don’t even look real, but they were, and they used to live on Earth, just like us. Isn’t that so cool?” I almost fell over at this response. It was the single coolest thing I have ever heard a kid say. He was so right! Dinosaurs are awesome, and now I realized my obsession with them was too!