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Scenes with The Girl
By Dean Dad November 1, 2009 8:46 pm
"I wish you could see my thinks, but they're stuck in my brain and I can't get them out." -- The Girl

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At parents' lunch at TG's school, a little boy from her class came up and hugged TG.
TW: Does he do that a lot?
TG: Yeah.
TW: Do you like it when he does that?
TG: Yeah.
TW: Do you ever hug him back?
(pause)
(shy smile)
TG: Sometimes.
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TG had a brush with sexism this week, but handled it well. She and TB went trick-or-treating together, TB as a mummy and TG as a veterinarian. (Some people thought TB was TG's patient. I thought TB's outfit made him look like a giant tampon, but decided not to mention it.) TG's costume combined green scrubs with a white lab coat with a nametag (Dr. TG) and a surgical mask that she wore loose around her neck.
They made quite the pair, and many of the adults at the doors couldn't help but comment on their costumes. A frequent exchange:
TB and TG: Trick-or-treat!
Adult at door: Ooh! A mummy and a nurse!
TG: I'm a doctor!
Adult: Oh, sorry, honey.
TG: I'm a vet-er-in-ar-i-an.
Adult: (smile)
Naturally, once we got home, this became a teachable moment.
TW: You know, women can be doctors, too.
TG: I know.
TB: Yeah, I know.
DD: And men can be nurses.
TB: They can?
DD: Yup.
TG: And I'm a vet-er-in-ar-i-an!
DD: That's right.
She's only five, but TG is already more composed and self-possessed than many adults I know. Sometimes.

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Comments on Scenes with The Girl

listen to thoughts
Posted by CC Prof on November 3, 2009 at 7:30pm EST
Your first story reminded me of an exchange with my 7-year-old daughter as I was taking her to school one recent morning. I don't know if it is the early time or the long-ish drive but she can sure come up with some good questions. She had been really quiet for a while and then out of nowhere asks, "If you hold a microphone to my head can you hear my thoughts?" Apparently she got this idea because the previous week we had watched a movie in which there was a voice-over from one of the actors and this is how she interpreted it. I keep forgetting that she is still at the age where magic is real.