Billie: “I like my stuffed animals. I bring one to school every day. They sit on my desk. The teacher says I can have them as long as they don’t distract me.”

Me: “Do other kids bring stuffed animals in?”

Billie: “Sometimes. But I bring one every day.”

Me: “Do they help you?”

Billie: “Yea, especially when I am stressed.”

Me: “When do you get stressed?”

Billie: “Like, when I’m done with a test. I always finish first and the other kids don’t like it. So I stare at my stuffed animal and I invent his past.”

Me: “Oh, like a backstory?”

Billie: “Yea. Like the pigs, they’re the gossips. And the triplets love to go to fancy places like casinos, Hawaii, and Ohio. And the raccoon is an open minder who likes basketball.”

Me: “What is an open minder? Is that somebody with the ability to literally open minds and look inside them? Or is it somebody who’s just very open-minded and accepts everyone?”

Billie: “It means he can look inside people’s minds, obviously.”

Me: “Obviously.”

Billie: “And he likes basketball. Don’t forget. That is a very important part of his identity.”

…Got it. I won’t forget.