Children set high, almost unreachable standards for their parents. In their minds, mothers and fathers are supposed to know everything and be perfectly able to accomplish any task...even if the fact they're asking about is made up or the task is impossible. Twitter user James Breakwell offered up a perfect example of this on January 6, when he shared the story of a recent interaction with his 6-year-old.
6-year-old: Do dragons fart fire? Me: I don't know. 6: I thought you went to college.— James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn (@James Breakwell, Exploding Unicorn)1546809165.0
Kids really do ask the darndest things...
@XplodingUnicorn https://t.co/c0vl0DDXnV— 🇨🇦Sandra Bee 🛶🌊 (@🇨🇦Sandra Bee 🛶🌊)1546809265.0
Seriously, Dad?! You don't know the answer?!
@XplodingUnicorn Yeah, DAD. https://t.co/XdTMYkC58U— AnaBanana (@AnaBanana)1546809296.0
@XplodingUnicorn https://t.co/d3zHjWzhMq— Just Tin (@Just Tin)1546809334.0
@XplodingUnicorn ~16 more years of disappointing your kid, dad. Settle in.— DanoPinyon (@DanoPinyon)1546810104.0
What kind of college doesn't teach basic Dragonomics?
@XplodingUnicorn I knew it. College teaches absolutely none of the important stuff in life.— Ozzelot (@Ozzelot)1546809239.0
@XplodingUnicorn The important questions must be answered https://t.co/JebfG7bbPN— Hazel Rothschild (@Hazel Rothschild)1546811661.0
@XplodingUnicorn What a waste of student loans 😂😂— Anne Balogh Strauser (@Anne Balogh Strauser)1546810139.0
The best universities take the time to make sure their students understand basic dragon principals.
@XplodingUnicorn Someone skipped his Mythical Flatulence 101 classes! 😄— Helena Handbasket (@Helena Handbasket)1546824876.0
@XplodingUnicorn Dragon Anatomy 501 wasn’t a requirement for my degree either. Lol— Shelby M.L. Rose (@Shelby M.L. Rose)1546838123.0
@XplodingUnicorn quick, tell him they do and they also hiccup fire. basically all indigestion results in fire and t… https://t.co/12MryXU9Hn— Andrea-Ioana (@Andrea-Ioana)1546809252.0
Conversation with children are almost always online gold.
@XplodingUnicorn Makes me think of my 5 yr old’s comment while putting on pajamas: Me: Take your pants off. Him: YO… https://t.co/u79buO1uqy— Les Roll (@Les Roll)1546811797.0
@XplodingUnicorn When one of my grandaughters was little, she, out of the blue, came into the laundry room where I… https://t.co/iXzZebUU34— Kathryn Guillaum (@Kathryn Guillaum)1546931392.0
@kguillaum1 @XplodingUnicorn my mother used to be an elementary school teacher, and on day in religious education s… https://t.co/pVrgcU5df3— 🎄 Blockchainflöten des Todes 🎄 (@🎄 Blockchainflöten des Todes 🎄)1547112117.0
But wait...could history offer an answer to the 6-year-old's question?
@XplodingUnicorn According to my ancestors they do https://t.co/uvhw4tmBnY— Mike Somerville (@Mike Somerville)1546810709.0
@XplodingUnicorn Dude, the correct answer to "Do dragons...?" is always- "Depends, What sort of dragon?"— Erin McRay (@Erin McRay)1546809621.0
@e_mcray @XplodingUnicorn Clearly someone who went to the right college. 😉— 1000HolyPlaces (@1000HolyPlaces)1546810849.0
Some Twitter users took a more scientific approach to the query.
@XplodingUnicorn @SovereignAnnie A: the science is inconclusive— LeanLegal® (@LeanLegal®)1546820888.0
@XplodingUnicorn @skadoo3 My considered answer: dragon farts are highly flammable, as the gasses needed for combust… https://t.co/VMi52D9Jt3— Shatner, the band (@Shatner, the band)1546819014.0
Either way, we can all agree: this 6-year-old has its priorities straight.
@XplodingUnicorn @SoJa0Saad That 6 year old is going places 👌🏽— GENIUS (@GENIUS)1546927630.0
@XplodingUnicorn @shebakesalot I didn’t think something this profound would show up so early in the morning, but I’… https://t.co/aPtmoBZJQZ— #AvsFam (@#AvsFam)1546878290.0
The consensus among true dragon lovers seemed to be united:
@XplodingUnicorn From what I recall of the Rankin-Bass classic "Flight of the Dragons," dragons basically belch a f… https://t.co/DxZsXnSIY0— Jordan Fischer (@Jordan Fischer)1546901009.0
@XplodingUnicorn @LoserMcTool The Flight of Dragons (1982) can clear this up. Dragons produce hydrogen internally f… https://t.co/C5TFRMLL0X— jamie d (@jamie d)1546895355.0
Of course, to know for sure, there's only one thing to do: go ask a dragon.