Real or not real?

One of my favorite book series is the Hunger Games series. In the last book of the series, Mockingjay, one of the characters, Peeta, is recovering from having been captured by the enemy and brainwashed to believe that his former friends are his enemies. When his friends rescue him, he has a hard time differentiating between the brainwashing and reality. So he's often asking his friend/romantic interest, Katniss, of different situations or events, "Real or not real?"

Sadie's at the age where she is always asking what is real and what is not real. My nephew, Brock, is her same age, and how he asks if something is real or not is, "Are there such-and-such things in this world?" It's so cute. I love the way he talks.

There is a constant running commentary in our house on which things are real and which things are fake. When Micah watches his favorite My Little Pony movies, it's,

"Are ponies real?"

"Yep."

"Are they pink?"

"Nope."

"But some of them are brown, right?"

"Yep."

"Ponies don't have wings."

"Nope, ponies don't have wings."

"And ponies don't really talk."

"You're right, Sade. Ponies don't really talk."

And on and on.

The other day, we were watching Cars.

"Cars don't talk, do they?"

"Nope. They're not alive."

"But are there car races?"

"Yep."

"Is Radiator Springs real?"

"No, but there are little towns like that."

"Do cars stay in hotels shaped like cones?"

"Uh, no."

"People stay in hotels, though."

"Yes, Sadie. People stay in hotels."

She's cute.