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My niece, the critic

I have been playing with my nearly 4 year old niece for a good two hours now and we're having a great time. At one point I lie on my stomach next to her on the floor when she promptly stands up and goes to lie down at the opposite end of the room.

"Why did you run away from Auntie?" I asked

Niece looks abashed (I didn't know nearly 4 year olds can look abashed) and points to her cheek, indicating the eczematous flare up on my left cheek.

I am aghast. I know that my niece has a highly developed sense of aesthetics for a kid who isn't even in school, but for her to be revulsed by my appearance is just too much. I relate this to my sister-in-law who shrugs her shoulders and sighs in resignation.

"This isn't the first time she's been so blatant. The other day in the tram, she pointed to a dwarf standing near us and said loudly, 'Mummy, why is that man so short?'I tried to distract her with something else but she kept pointing and repeating her question."

When my brother came home late that day, he had his own story to add. This time it was a couple of deaf people communicating with each other in sign. My dear angelic niece had to, of course, ask in her high- pitched voice, "Dadda, why are they talking like that? What's wrong with them? Dadda?"

I see there is a lot of educating that needs to be done.

Comments

Maryam said…
AHAHAH...she's so cute and mean.....love it.
Kere said…
Mmmmphh, makes it difficult to smash her face into the ground for being so impertinent. Instead you just want to hug and kiss her and buy her expensive things.

Now, why does't that work for me?
Maryam said…
It doesn't work for us because we're lacking in the 'cute' part of 'cute and mean'.
Kere said…
Yaaayy, see you at home. I'll try not to look like the Elephant Man.

Maryam, what do you mean we're lacking in the cute part?