I have four kids, ages 6, 6, 7, and 8. They’re at the prime of kidness, and I love it. They’re also growing, though, and while I’m thrilled with their growth, I simultaneously bemoan it. My wife often reminds me that each stage of their lives will bring us joy. It’s a good reminder, and I know it’s true. It’s just that the joys of small children cannot be replicated.

Adulthood brings many gains. But it also brings some significant losses. Chief among them: imagination and sincerity.

So I have enjoyed AT&T’s fantastic ad campaign “It’s Not Complicated.” The ads highlight groups of four kids interacting with a straight-laced conversation-starter and answering his questions about “which is better”: bigger or smaller, faster or slower, more or less. The fanciful and precisely-logical (or not-quite-logical) discussion that ensues is entirely predictable (if you have kids) and entirely unpredictable (because they’re kids) all at the same time.

A few weeks ago I pondered aloud whether these commercials were scripted or improvised. I guessed improvised. They seem natural, and there are certain ideas that could only come from a kid’s brain. If you’ve had the same question, here’s your answer [update: the video documenting the improv that goes into these commercials has been removed, but below is a montage of the hilarious exchanges that take place throughout]:

If you have kids, soak ’em up. Enjoy them. Talk to them. Listen to them. Play with them. Laugh with them. Hold them tight and look them in the eyes until they smile the best smile a human being ever smiles. It’s true: They’ll grow up to be bigger and smarter and more than they are now. But they’ll never be better. It’s not complicated: kids are great.