I wish

My three-year-old's first ever kindergarten painting.

Her independant spirit has been making itself felt from the very beginning of her life. This is a conversation we had yesterday.

We'd been out shopping at a leisurely pace - me and the two girls, while my son was at a birthday party. Instead of the usual fast walk, me dragging them in a hurry past the tempting windows of all the pretty but non-functional shops, I'd let them gaze to their heart's content at baubles and teddy bears, wishing for each new thing as fervently as the last. As we headed back to the car, holding hands and carrying only the nappies we'd been to the supermarket for, my youngest turned to me and said calmly:

"I wish I didn't have a mum and dad, then I could do whatever I wanted."

Luckily I was feeling laid back at the time, so instead of ignoring her or getting irritated, I let her hand go, took one step away and replied, "So what would you do right now if you didn't have a Mum?"

Slightly surprised at being taken up on the wishful thinking, she stood there for a minute and then turned to her big sister, who wasn't really paying attention to what we'd been saying:
"What would we do if we didn't have a Mum or a Dad?"
"We'd go and buy one." came the practical answer.
"But you can't buy people...." she retorted.

We didn't resolve that one, I think they still need me for driving the car at the moment.