Tonight, while playing "Pet Store" with my 4 year-old...

"Daddy, I'm going to run the pet store and you be the customer" she said with the enthusiasm only a 4 year-old can muster. But, being the dutiful father that I am, I played along.

"What animal would you like?"she says, holding out the bundle of glow sticks that are her 'animals'.
"I'll take the Red Rabbit, please" I say, taking the red glow stick from her.
"Okay, thank you!"

I pretend to play with it for a minute or so before I hear "Daddy, we're closing. You have to give the rabbit back."

Wait, what? I thought I bought this rabbit...oh well, it's her game, lets just play along.

"Okay sweetheart, here you go."
"Okay. Goodnight!"

Pause for effect

"Good morning, Daddy! The pet store is open again! What animal would you like?"
"How about the green iguana?"

She hands over the green iguana before reminding me to bring it back to the store tonight so that she can feed it.

"AHA!" I think to myself. There's where she's not getting this whole pet store thing, she thinks that they have to come back to be fed.

"Can daddy just buy some food for the rabbit...I mean iguana?"
"Yes, but you have to buy it from me."

Smart kid, eh?
Just wait, it gets better.

"Okay, I would like to buy some food then."
"Here you go daddy, have a good day."

Pause for effect

"Good morning daddy, it's time for the iguana to come back home to the pet store."
WAIT. I THOUGHT WE SOLVED THIS???

"But sweetheart, I like the iguana, I want to keep it."
A brief pause while she thinks this one over...I figure I've got her with this one, even she understands the concept of keeping something she likes.

And then, she hits me with it!!
"Well, okay. But, then you have to buy this green giraffe too."
"Do I have to buy the giraffe food from you?
"Of course."

"What if I want a cage for the iguana or the giraffe, who can I buy that from?"
"My pet store."

"Let me ask you a question, do you own the factory where they make the pet food?"
"Yes."
"Do you own the farms where they grow the ingredients for the pet food?"
"Yes."
"Do you make the cages for your animals?"
"Yes."
"Do you own the factory where they make the metal for the cages?"
"Yes."
"Do you own the mines where they get the ore to make the metal?"
"Yes."
"If I wanted a tree for my giraffe to much on, who do I buy that from?"
"Me."
"Do you own the forest where the tree came from?"
"Yes."
"What about the trucks that bring it all to the pet store, do you own them?"
"Yes."
"Can I buy anything from another pet store?"
"No, this is the only one."

There you have it. At the age of four, my daughter has already figured out capitalism buy building a vertically integrated monopoly through which she can sell all things pet-related.

My head hurts...