prolonging bedtime

Tonight I read the Dr. Seuss story entitled, "What Was I Scared Of?" to Alex, which is, if I may take a sidebar, one of my very favorite of the Dr. Seuss stories. I think it's right behind "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" for me. If you don't have children and have never read it, it is about a guy who keeps running into these pale green pants with nobody inside them, and each time he freaks out and runs away until one fateful day when he realizes that the pale green pants are just as scared of him as he is of them, and they hug and become instant comrades.

Which started a lively discussion.

"Why was they guy scared of the pale green pants?"
"Because they were different. It's easy to be scared of things that are different from us."
"But were the pale green pants scared."
"Yes, they thought the guy was different so they were scared."
"Are they scared now?"
"No, they realized that there was nothing to be afraid of. They were both nice, just different."
"Are we different?"
"To some people."
"Are they scared?"
"Maybe."
"Why."
"Because we might seem different from them, but we shouldn't be afraid of our differences because we're all just people."

"Pale green pants are people??"

"Goodnight."