As I was trying to pack for vacation, my 3-year-old daughter was having a wonderful time playing on the bed. At one point, she said, "Mom, look at this," and stuck out two of her fingers. Trying to

As I was trying to pack for vacation, my 3-year-old daughter was having a wonderful time playing on the bed. At one point, she said, "Mom, look at this," and stuck out two of her fingers. Trying to stay focused on my packing, I absentmindedly glanced over and said, “What is it, honey?”

She proudly waved her fingers in the air and said, “I have two whole hot dogs!”

Now, in that moment, I was puzzled, thinking, Does she think those are hot dogs? But before I could ask, she continued, “Two hot dogs for me, and none for you!” and giggled as she wiggled her fingers even more enthusiastically.

I froze. "Wait... what?" I asked, blinking. My first thought was that maybe she had been watching a cooking show or something, but this seemed like another of her creative interpretations of the world.

Then, without missing a beat, she quickly added, "And you can’t have any, because you’re too busy with your stupid packing!"

I looked at her, speechless, trying to stifle my laughter. Here I was, desperately trying to get everything packed, and my 3-year-old had just served me a “hot dog” rejection like a true professional.

She then climbed up on the bed and began pretending to take a bite of her “hot dogs,” making exaggerated chewing sounds. I couldn’t help but laugh—it was one of those moments where you wonder if your child has truly figured out life before you have.

As I finished packing, she handed me a “hot dog” too, and I gratefully accepted. It turns out, my 3-year-old had learned a valuable lesson in sharing without even realizing it.

By the time we were done, I had two hot dogs in one hand, a suitcase in the other, and an entirely new perspective on vacation prep: no matter how crazy the packing gets, there’s always room for a little imagination.