My daughter has somehow transformed from a baby into a “little girl.” It’s weird how it seemed to happen all of a sudden. And more than anything, she is a little girl who doesn’t like things. The three things she says most often are: “I don’t like it,” “No,” and “It’s scary.” She thinks most everything is scary nowadays. I don’t think she fully understands the concept of “scary.” I think, to her, it’s a synonym for “I don’t like it.”
Six months ago, she couldn’t get enough “Yo Gabba Gabba!” Today, she announced to me, “I don’t like ‘Yo Gabba Gabba!’ It’s scary.” When asked to elaborate, she is sometimes mute on the subject, but in this case, she assured me that “The worm is very, very scary.” Archibald? The myopic earthworm? Scary?
Well, who knows what goes on in the mind of children at 22 months? Right now, she is playing with a green, plastic St. Patrick’s Day hat, but if Odie or I put it on our heads, her face contorts with concern and she says, “Take it off! I don’t like it.” But then she insists we give it back to her. And that’s where we have to implement the “That’s not how we ask for things” lessons. She has become quite adamant in her speech lately. “GIVE IT TO ME!” is something we don’t care for. Just now, she told the kitty, regarding her hat, “Don’t sniff it.” And on the list of things I never thought I’d hear myself say, “V, don’t eat or lick the hat, please. We don’t eat hats.”
Because, I don’t know YOUR customs, but in these parts we don’t eat hats. That’s where the expression “I’ll eat my hat” gets its power.
The Friendly Pedant by Mrs. Odie 
Very funny! My neice is 4 and knows how to Skype and she is always saying the craziest things to me. She doesn’t still quite get the concept of Aunt Linny being pregnant. She saw my U/S picture and asked me why it was so dark, I explained to her why and then she told me to stick a flashlight in there. Right… get right on that Lils.
On another subject, I am a military wife and we used to be stationed right outside Tokyo. I would just like to ask you and your readers if they would say a prayer to whomever it is they pray to for Japan. I have a lot of friends over there right now and we still haven’t heard from some that are in northern Japan. Pray for all the people that are suffering and that the Fukushima nuclear plant doesn’t have a complete meltodown. If I wasn’t pregnant, I would be on the first plane out to go clean up. Redcross is also taking donations on their website for those who can afford it.
Please help this beautiful country!