On our way home from the play place at McDonald’s the other day, Bridget and I had a conversation that went something like this:

T: Ok, its time to go home.
B: No, I just wanna stay here. Play some more.
T: But don’t you want to go home and see daddy, he’ll be home soon.
B: Go get daddy, then right back. Play some more.

I neither agreed nor argued. We headed to the car, and I buckled her in.

B: Go get daddy from his work.
T: Don’t you want to go home and wait for him? He’ll be there soon.
B: No. Just want to go dad’s work.
T: I don’t think they’ll let us in. I’ll call daddy and see how long he’ll be, okay?
B: Ok. Just go get daddy at his work.

I call Dave’s cell phone. Looks like he got drawn into a meeting, and will be at least another hour.

T: Guess what, dad has some more work to do. We’ll just go home and wait for him.
B: Daddy’s all done working, just go get him at his work.
T: But honey, he’s stuck in a meeting.
B: Daddy is his meeting stuck, huh?
T: Yea, he’s stuck in a meeting. Sorry.
B: Just go to his work and get him. He’s not stuck anymore.
T: No, he’s still stuck in his meeting. He can’t come out.
B: Just go see daddy at his work.
T: Not today. We’ll go see daddy at work a different day.
B: Daddy’s stuck in meeting, huh?
T: Yea.
B: In his chair.
T: What about his chair?
B: He’s just stuck in his chair. Can’t get out.
T: No, he’s stuck in a meeting.
B: Door won’t open, huh?
T: (At this point I give up) Yea.
B: Door is stuck huh?
T: Yea.
B: Dad can’t get out.
T: Yea.
B: Just go dad’s work, help him. He’s not stuck anymore.
T: Bridget, we can’t go to daddy’s work. He’s in a meeting. He’ll come home when he’s finished.
B: Dad’s stuck huh?
T: Yes, dad is stuck in a meeting. We’ll just go home and wait for him.

Long Pause. . .

B: Dad’s not at work.
T: Yes he is, he’s at work.
B: No, he’s not at work. Just stuck in meeting.
T: He’s stuck in a meeting AT work.
B: No, not at work. Just in a meeting.
T: Ok.
B: He stuck too, in a box.
T: What?
B: He’s stuck in a box in daddy’s meeting.
T: Daddy’s in a box?
B: He’s stuck.
T: Oh.
B: Just gonna go get him out, okay?
T: Ok.

By now we were just about to turn into our driveway.

B: No, don’t go home. Just go daddy’s work.
T: But you said daddy’s wasn’t at his work. Just in a meeting. Remember?
B: Oh yea. He’s just stuck.

I unbuckled her, and headed to get the mail. She spent a few minutes “driving” my car. She found a small picture of Dave on the instrument panel, and picked it up.

B: Look, that’s daddy.
T: Yea, that is daddy. Do you want to keep that picture?
B: Yea.
T: Ok, you can have it. Let’s go in the house.
B: Daddy’s in a meeting, huh?
T: Yes dear.
B: I’m gonna go hang this on the fridge (referring to her newly acquired photo of daddy)
T: Alright.

The conversation was hilarious, and lasted pretty close to 15 minutes altogether. It should also be noted that her desire to get daddy and return to McDonald’s to play was quickly replaced by her concern for the fact that daddy was stuck (whether in a meeting, his chair, or a box), and then again replaced by an interest in her new photo of dad.

I wonder what sort of image was in her mind when she imagined daddy being “stuck in a meeting.”