I don't own Monk... obviously. I don't own any of the main characters either

Leeland Stottlemyer was frustrated.

"You're the lucky one," he told his friend

"Rough day," Monk asked.

"Let me ask you something," Stottlemyer said, "did Trudy ever get any crazy ideas in her head… like Karen does"

"She would get ideas all the time… but I hardly consider them crazy"

"So say she had an idea that you didn't agree with."

"It…could happen. It's not likely but it could"

"Okay in ''unlikely'' event that it did happen what would you do... if it happened?"

"Listened to her"

"But you don't agree with it"

"Just because I don't agree with it doesn't make it any less valid."

"So you would listen to her even though she's not as smart as you?"

"Says who?"

"What?"

"Well you said she's not as smart as me. How did you decide she's not as smart as me?"

"You had more experience. You went to school"

"Sometimes," Monk said, "it takes 4 eyes to see what 2 eyes cannot see"

His friend sighed clearly agitated.

"It seems to me," Monk told Stottlemyer, "like you're looking at this as a competition"

"Wouldn't you?"

"No. Not for a moment. I would look at it as another avenue to consider"

"BUT IT WASN'T YOUR IDEA"

"Two words… who cares"

Stottlemyer was quiet for a few minutes.

"If Jared, Jason or Jennifer came up with an idea you hadn't thought of what would you think," Monk asked.

"Well I would be proud of them"

"Why? It wasn't your idea"

"Monk, that's different. Jenny's 17, Jason's 15 and Jared is 13. Karen is a year older then me"

"I'm still not seeing the problem here"

"The problem is it's embarrassing to have your equal show you up like that"

"Did you hear what you said?"

"Yes… no… I don't know"

"You called Karen your equal"

"Well she is," Stottlemyer said, "and I love her but I'm worldlier then she is"

"That may be why she sees things you don't"

"Huh?"

"Have you ever looked at a butterfly," Monk asked

"Of course"

"What do you think of when you see a butterfly?"

"A bug… a pretty bug but still a bug"

"And when a child sees a butterfly what do they see?"

"A wonderment"

"Because?"

"And so they're?"

"Looking at things with a different pair of eyes"

Stottlemyer grabbed his coat.

"Where are you going," Monk asked

"To do what I should have done a long time ago," Stottlemyer said, "apologize to Karen"

Then he looked at Monk and smiled.

"Thank you Monk," he said as he left.