The Great Discovery

Theo burst through the door this afternoon clutching what he’s absolutely convinced is a genuine fossil.

The Great Discovery

Look at that face - pure scientific triumph. He spent twenty minutes explaining the geological significance of his find, complete with theories about what kind of dinosaur it came from and approximately how many million years old it is.

Serious scientific examination in progress

The examination process was thorough. He held it up to the light, checked for ‘bone patterns,’ and even smelled it (apparently fossils have a distinctive scent according to his research). His conclusion? Definitely a piece of Triceratops horn. Definitely worth displaying prominently.

Treating his treasure with proper scientific care

And so our mantle now has a place of honor for Theo’s ‘fossil.’ It’s sitting right next to Sophie’s art award and Marcus’s college graduation photo. Is it actually just a really cool rock from our backyard? Absolutely. Are we going to tell him that? Absolutely not. The kid’s passion for paleontology is the purest thing in our house right now.

Besides, who knows? Maybe in a few years he’ll be the one laughing at us when he discovers it really was something special all along. Until then, we have the world’s proudest 11-year-old paleontologist living under our roof.