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Conversations with a five-year-old go like this:

- Do you like this picture?
- Yes, it's great.
- Is it the best picture you've ever seen?
- Well, there was once this man called Dali who did some pretty good stuff...
- Is it the best picture of me and [the boy across the road] you've ever seen?
- Yes, yes, it probably is.
- Which picture do you like best? My picture or Mabel's picture?
- I love you both the same so I love your pictures both the same too.
- But which one is better? Is mine better?
- Yours is excellent for a five-year-old and hers is perfect for a three-year-old.
- Do you like this picture better than the picture I gave you for Christmas?
- I like them both. Can you stop asking now?
- Why?
- Because.

Conversations with a three-year-old go like this:

- I spy with my little eye, something that is black.
- Is it inside the car or outside the car?
- It's outside the car. And we saw it when we were leaving the house.
- Can we still see it now?
- No, it's in the red car next door to our house.
- This is not really the way you're supposed to play this game. Is it the dog that was in the car?
- Yes! It's the dog!

- I spy with my little eye, something that is brown.
- Is it inside the car or outside the car?
- It's outside the car and we ate it on Christmas morning and it's made of chocolate.
- Is it M&Ms?
- Yes! It's M&Ms!

- I spy with my little eye, something beginning with M.
- [Suspicious, because she usually does colours.] Is it Mabel?
- Yes! It's Mabel! Good guess, Mummy!