"How do you know that?"

In search of evidence - 5 year old back seat conversations

My son: Father Christmas is real - my mom just doesn't know because she hasn't been to the North Pole yet.

Ballerina: no, I don't think so. Presents just come from the shops.

Son: But Likhona said he SAW him.

Ballerina: He is NOT real.
But the tooth fairy definitely IS real. I mean how can you go to sleep with a tooth under your pillow and then suddenly there's some money instead? How can that be? (big hand gestures)


My son's constant stream of "why?" questions have been upgraded to "How do you know that?"

I'm finding it so interesting watching him analysing the information that comes his way, trying to figure out how it all fits together. Sometimes when I'm completely worn out of reasonable answers to his questions I think back to my own childhood. This is probably round about the age my Dad started telling me that nothing is really real and maybe we're all just a figment of someone else's imagination... now I understand why my Dad would go there.

As my son's professional philosopher uncle says, "Ah, the well-worn route from metaphysics to epistemology"