While walking with Ava Scarlett the other day, an older woman came walking in our direction, eating a slice of pizza with her gaping mouth smacking loudly. She had a run of red sauce next to her mouth. As she sauntered past us, my kid’s head cranes around, watching her. I know what she’s thinking, but I only say,”Don’t stare, baby.”
She: That lady was chewing with her mouth open.
Me: *stifling grin* Yes, I saw.
She: That’s gross.
Me: That IS gross.
She: Isn’t she kinda old to do that?
Me: You mean, shouldn’t she know better? Yes, she should.
She: That’s not polite.
Me: No, it’s not.
She: And anyway, if you’re going to eat a piece of pizza walking around like that, then you need to have a napkin so you don’t make messy face out in the world.
I look at her and start laughing. She laughs too.
Me: You’re absolutely right. And it’s better to sit down and eat anyway. It’s better for your body to stop and focus on what you’re eating. It’s civilized.
She: *thinks* Unless it’s a cheeseburger. That’s okay. And you can have the napkin in your purse with your French fries, right mummy?
Busted. This is totally how I roll.
Me: Well, it’s still better to sit whenever you can. And always use your napkin.
She: Yeah, because otherwise… that’s unseemly. *shakes head with eyes closed*
A man walking past overhears us, and snorts with laughter, giving us the thumbs-up. She gives him the thumbs-up right back. Holy crap, this kid is getting wise.
Chatting with her is becoming one of my favourite pastimes…
Girl, this was awesome to read! Tell your daughter she is brilliant! (and so is her mommy for helping raise such a clever girl).
I know, Carol. And it sounds like your daughter knows it all… lovely. 🙂
“Unseemly”?!?!? LOVE! Especially with that world-weary headshake: *sigh* ‘When will they learn…’. You gave such a smile, this morning. Thank you!
Can Ava Scarlett and Will start skyping???? Seriously. The convos we would overhear!!!
Unseemly! That killed me. I laughed out loud!
How did our kids get smarter than us? It’s scary, I now defer to my 12 yr old daughter when trying to make a decision.
I love seeing the world through the eyes of my children. Just the other day my 10 year old told me how much she loves her life. She is so grateful to have wonderful friends and parents who love each other and don’t fight. This made me pause and think about how complicated and stressful life seems at times and helped me focus on the things that are most important – family and friends.