Monday, November 02, 2009

Scenes with The Girl

"I wish you could see my thinks, but they're stuck in my brain and I can't get them out." -- The Girl

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At parents' lunch at TG's school, a little boy from her class came up and hugged TG.

TW: Does he do that a lot?

TG: Yeah.

TW: Do you like it when he does that?

TG: Yeah.

TW: Do you ever hug him back?

(pause)

(shy smile)

TG: Sometimes.

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TG had a brush with sexism this week, but handled it well. She and TB went trick-or-treating together, TB as a mummy and TG as a veterinarian. (Some people thought TB was TG's patient. I thought TB's outfit made him look like a giant tampon, but decided not to mention it.) TG's costume combined green scrubs with a white lab coat with a nametag (Dr. TG) and a surgical mask that she wore loose around her neck.

They made quite the pair, and many of the adults at the doors couldn't help but comment on their costumes. A frequent exchange:

TB and TG: Trick-or-treat!

Adult at door: Ooh! A mummy and a nurse!

TG: I'm a doctor!

Adult: Oh, sorry, honey.

TG: I'm a vet-er-in-ar-i-an.

Adult: (smile)

Naturally, once we got home, this became a teachable moment.

TW: You know, women can be doctors, too.

TG: I know.

TB: Yeah, I know.

DD: And men can be nurses.

TB: They can?

DD: Yup.

TG: And I'm a vet-er-in-ar-i-an!

DD: That's right.

She's only five, but TG is already more composed and self-possessed than many adults I know. Sometimes.