Neighborhood Watch

Last night I went for a walk with Gabe. As we chatted Gabe notice a Neighborhood Watch warning sign which he inspected closely. The sign looks a lot like this:

Gabe: What's a suspicious person? Is it a criminal?

Me: A suspicious person could be anyone unusual who is hanging around and acting weird. What do you think a suspicious person would look like?

Gabe: Oh, you know, like a ninja.

Me: (incredulous) A ninja?

Gabe: Yeah. Like a highly skilled ninja. (thinking) Except the ninjas are all in japan.

Me: Exactly. How would they even get here?

Gabe: Oh, easy. They travel in the trees.

Me: All the way from Japan? How would they cross the ocean?

Gabe: They'd swim. (Matter of fact) They are highly skilled.

Me: True. Highly skilled. (Wondering now) What would they even do here?

Gabe: (Authoritatively) You know, leap around from house to house on the roofs and trees. Break in and sneak stuff out.

Me: Just because someone is a ninja doesn't mean they are a criminal. Maybe some ninjas are nice.

Gabe: Yeah! (Thinking) They could be a bodyguard. I bet if we lived in Japan, Dad could be a ninja. (Triumphant) And then if we came to live here, we'd have to introduce him around the neighborhood and let everybody know he was a good ninja so they wouldn't be suspicious and call the police.

Me: Exactly.

Wow, the things you learn when you go for a walk with seven-year-old!