My three-year-old has better social skills than me, and it's a little creepy.
She was telling me about a dream she'd had about Miss Diana the Daycare Lady coming over for a visit.
According to Gert: "…And I would say, 'Diana, I would like you to meet my sister. Her name is Matilda.'"
Now when I'm in the position of introducing people, it would never occur to me to lead with the very polite "I would like you to meet…" Usually I jump in at awkward moments and blurt, "Um! This is…" and forget everyone's name. Where did little Gert (who has only been alive for 3 years but can navigate the Wiggles website using sophisticated computer skills like double clicking) pick up on such effortless, elegant phrasing?
Clearly she's not getting it from me.
And who taught her to say, "Daddy, I hope you have a very good day today!" on her way out the door?
Who taught her to stand at the top of a slide, turn to the pushy kid behind her, and offer, "You can go first."?
It wasn't me. In fact, I'm more likely to duck my head in the grocery store and pretend I don't see people I recognize so I won't have to talk to them.
Sometimes I pretend not to recognize people in the middle of a conversation.
This morning I walked into the kitchen and Gert was sitting on Daddy's lap, listening as he explained in all seriousness how to avoid one of the true pitfalls in life, the pyramid scheme.
"Now if anyone ever offers you the chance to be in their downline, what do you say?" prompted Daddy.
"No thank you..." said Gert. "I'm not in-un-an-est-ed."
Polite, yet assertive. I'm so proud.
1 comment:
Okay, I'm literally cracking up here.
The youngest of my almost 3-year-olds got into a debate with me yesterday and if I wasn't the parent, I swear the child would have won.
I wouldn't let her play with the computer they have at Wal-Mart (because apparently pen and paper job applications are an ancient relic). I told her not to touch any buttons. She tried to convince me that I had let her in the past (not true). When that didn't work, she tried insisting that Grandma did (Grandma's never been to Wal-Mart with us). When that didn't work, she tried to touch the mouse insisting it wasn't a button and I only said "You can't touch the buttons." She was, in fact, correct.
I still make the rules, though. So I won.
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