Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Be a good girl

Melinda was writing a book. It was, I'm sorry to say, the sort of book that tries to get children to see things from an adult's point of view, rather than the other way around. But she went about it in an earnest sort of way, trying to make things dreadfully obvious and unassailable, and thus losing her audience completely.

"What are you doing, mama?"

"I'm writing a book," said Melinda proudly, "about a little boy who does the wrong thing, and gets in trouble for it." Sensing that she was not redeeming herself in the eyes of her daughter, she continued, "And a little girl who does the right thing, and is rewarded."

"What's 'rewarded'?"

"That means the she got something nice for being so good."

"Wha'd she get?"

"A pony."

"Oh." Susan looked at her mother questioningly.

"Now, be a good girl, and go play in the living room."

Susan went, but she doubted that there was a pony to be had for her obedience.