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Monday, March 23, 2009

Are you smarter than a 6 year old?

Last week I was reading books to my daughters. It was especially enjoyable because my girls are all independent readers now. The days of sitting with a warm, sweet-smelling child nestled on my lap while I read an endless pile of books, struggling not to fall into a comatose sleep and crush them underneath the weight of my body are mostly behind me.

Of the stories we read, my daughter Emily particularly enjoyed Sylvester and the Magic Pebble. In this book, Sylvester loves to collect pebbles and he happens upon a magic one that can make wishes come true. Emily, who is also a lover of rocks and pebbles, was completely taken by the concept of magic, and mentioned it periodically throughout the week.

Friday we were at the barn while Rachel had her riding lesson. Emily trotted up to me with a shiny, unusual pebble and held it out for my inspection. There are a lot of semi-precious stones, such as garnet, that can be readily found near our house, and any time she comes up with something sparkly she brings it to me for identification, hoping for precious gems.

Emily: Mom, what's this?

KathyB!: Oh, that's a magic pebble, Emily! This is very exciting! Do you want me to show you how it works?

Emily: Nodding skeptically. She's been around the block a few times, and she knows how I operate.

KathyB!: I rubbed the pebble furiously between my hands, squeezed my eyes tightly shut, and then wished... for a diet coke.

(Ironic that I'd wish for my child to bring me a diet coke just a week after they'd let one explode all over me less than a week ago, isn't it?)

Emily: Grinning from ear-to-ear she scooted over to the chair where I'd left my drink and ran back. She was loving the game and pleaded for me to make more wishes.

This went on for a short while...

KathyB!: Again, rubbing the pebble eyes tightly shut... I wish that Emily would gather up all of her school work and books and put them in the car since it's almost time to go... I rubbed for an extra long time to give her a chance to clean up, but when I opened my eyes she was sitting still as a statue and hadn't gathered a thing. I looked at her questioningly.

Emily: Mo-ooom. You did it completely wrong that time. You had your head tilted back and it doesn't work that way. You have to do it the way you did it the first time. Here, let me show you. .
(Emily plops down on the ground screws her eyes tightly shut and begins rubbing the rock with gusto. She has the most amazingly smug look on her sweet little face as she makes her wish.)

Emily: I wish mom would pick up all my stuff and put it in the car for me so that I could find more pebbles.

(She opened her eyes grinned at me as though she were the Cheshire cat. )

Holy mother of all booby traps, I stepped right into it. I just got owned by a six year-old. If she can bamboozle me like this at 6, imagine what she'll be able to do at 16.
.
We both had a good laugh as mommy picked up her stuff.

43 comments:

Anonymous said...

CK runs outside and digs through her "garden."

All she can find is something pebble-shaped that may (or may not) be a chunky white rock.

She rubs it as hard as she can and wishes for a regular Coke. Not even a big one like KathyB! got, just one of those 8oz midges.

The "rock" crumbles.

No Coke for her.

Hand sanitizer might be in order, however.

Anonymous said...

She's quick that one.

I love it.

Anonymous said...

Emily's quick just like her mother. Love,MOM

Anonymous said...

Hi to Gibby

Gibby said...

LOL, hello Anonymous Mom! You have a really smart granddaughter!

KathyB!, I have to admit that I would have been taken, too, because I did not see that coming! Emily put a smile on my face on this dreary morning. NIce work!

Kimberly said...

LMAO!! Too funny. She totally got you. I would have fell for it too. lol :)

My soon to be five year old, told me while he was taking his shower yesterday, after I reminded him to wash his butt, says to me, "I can't reach it." And goes on washing. Then, turns to me and says, "Mommy, will you wash my back?" I take the poofy and wash his back, he then says, "While you're back there, will you wash my butt?"

Though there is a different in stories, I too, got bamboozled. Kids are wiser then we give them credit for.

Anonymous said...

Whoa... that was genius! She is quick, that one...I didn't even see it coming!!
You just gotta love it!!!

Susie said...

She is too smart for your own good:-)

Anonymous said...

I love it!!!!!

I will start a novena for you NOW and continue it thru the teen years!

(I would be so darn proud of her! A girl after my own heart!)

Thanks for stopping by.....always a pleasure to hear from you!!

Anonymous said...

She's as quick and sharp as you are. Look out!

Anonymous said...

That's one heck of a magic pebble - and what a smart, adorable, kid!!

Kristina P. said...

She's hilarious! I can see where she gets it from!

Anonymous said...

Love it! She takes after her mom for sure...

theUngourmet said...

That is too good! My daughter is twelve now and while she won't admit it, she thinks she knows more than I do! (She is probably right.) Darn kids! :0)

Anonymous said...

Apparently she DOES "know how you operate." Like mother, like daughter, eh?

Cute story!

A Writer said...

Ohhh she's a smart one!

Great story!

Stacy Uncorked said...

LOL!!! Oh that's too funny - that is EXACTLY what the Princess Nagger would do...she's 6, too! Love it! I, too, am nervous about 16... ;)

The Blonde Duck said...

She got you good! How cute!

I've got to check out that book!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for stopping by my blog & please do let me know when the 26 hr day happens- just so I can use those extra two for sleep :) I got most of my school work done so I was pretty productive :)

Shawn said...

Bwahahaha! You are in soooo much trouble down the road ya know.

forever folding laundry said...

Hahaha - she is her mother's daughter! Love it.

~Keri

Riddle Girl said...

Thank you for the "warning". I am so prepared to hopefully not fall in to that kind of trap now!

She is hilarious! And I loved that you picked it up for her. It was the least you could do to reward her thinking on her toes.
(Just another thing to add to their "Gifted" list!)

Anonymous said...

By sixteen, you will have realized not to give her anymore magical pebbles. It may take another time or two, but by sixteen, you will be too smart to give her one. Now that oil lamp you saw in that antique store . . .

ScoMan said...

That is classic.

Emily must have learned this sort of trickery and booby trapping from somewhere, and I'm guessing from the games you play she might have learned it from you.

Kristina said...

hahaha! That is one smart cookie you have there. SIX? Wow, I guess that is what I have to look forward to huh? That cracks me up. They are pretty sneaky and impressive at times. It's hard not to laugh!

Anonymous said...

Well you know what they say about the apple and the tree, right? :) Love that story!

Anonymous said...

Please, for the love of cheese, NEVER bring that girl to Oklahoma. She would fit right in with my two...they'd overtake the state in no time.

Jen said...

you did totally leave the door wide open on that one.

Grand Pooba said...

Wowie! She learns from the best!

Anonymous said...

I love this story, KathyB! It is awesome that y'all have so much fun together and can joke around like this.

countryfriedmama said...

I think you're in trouble when Emily hits about 13 or so. (And I LOVE the Sylvester story. Miss D. won't go for it, for some reason.)

Lisa @ Boondock Ramblings said...

No way! She got you good that time! Smart kid! A little too smart if you ask me! :-)

Banteringblonde said...

OMG I love that book ... boy is she going to keep you on your toes!

3 Bay B Chicks said...

I think you first went wrong simply by reading to your daughter. It is clear that you should probably cut that one out entirely.

If not, I fear from you when the lovely Emily really does turn 16! :)

-Francesca

Helene said...

Okay, first off, I'm stuck on the whole "sweet-smelling child nestled in your lap while reading stories" thing. Is that how it's supposed to happen? I usually have 4 kids crying and trying to push one another off my lap as they each shove books in my face before I've even finished the one I've been reading to them. Reading stories to my children is pure torture sometimes!!

Wow, I have to say...your daughter is good. Very good. And smart too. I think you have every right to fear what she may be like at age 16. If it's any comfort, I have a feeling I'm in for it too when my daughter turns 16!

Lana@The Kids Did WHAT?! said...

Yeah... I think that would have caught me off guard for sure! Little stinker! Bound to keep you on your toes for sure now! :)

WillowLakeScents said...

Stopping by from SITS to say Hi!

Anonymous said...

Lol! Gotta love kids!

Ginger said...

Awesome. What a smarty pants daughter you have!

Anonymous said...

High five, Emily! Up high... down low... too slow!

You should've ended it like that just so you could end on a power note!!!

LilliGirl said...

OOOOOOHHHHH! She's slick! You betta watch out Mama!

Jenny Penny said...

Every time I look at your blog, I think, "I should start my day at the Mom Blog Network instead of in front of PBS KIDS." Yours is one of the blogs I always enjoy, and am always glad I stopped to read. Entries like this are why.

i am the diva said...

lol, that is one smart cookie you got there!! :D

love love love it.

Laura Litte Rockstar's Mom