Dennis Jerz posted his wife's essay 'The Meatball: Not a Funny Rhyme' says Peter Jerz, age 5-3/4; or, Child Traumatized by 'On Top of Spaghetti', in his Literacy Weblog. A wonderful snapshot. "Isn't that just like a kid," I said to Mary, when I pointed it out to her. They have such kind hearts. How do we get from that to the world we read about in the news every day?