Cindy is 12 years old but likes to refer to her vitamins in the same way she did when she was little, as “bite-amins”. My partner pointed out to me privately that if kids in high school heard her say that they would probably tease her. I shared with him that my fantasy would be that Cindy would stand up to anyone who would tease her, look them squarely in the eye and say, “I said biteamins, bitch.” He responded with his impression of her, that she would say “Vite me.” Which is probably more likely because she plays with words a lot. This interaction reminded me of a situation at home when Cindy was nine. Her older sister asked me if we could watch the movie “Meet the Fockers.”

If our household was one that didn’t allow a free flow of topics then Cindy would not feel safe to share the thoughts like this that come to her mind. If she censored herself, then I would not get to know her nor the quick wit she has. I hope she keeps this ability for her whole life. I sure wish I had this ability.

There’s no lesson or teaching in this post. Just wanted to share a snippet from my life with my kids.