Tuesday, April 4, 2017

For What It's Worth

Olivia called me dumb and lazy the other night. I was in the process of taking the old nail polish off her nails so we could put new color on her and she asked me, “Why are you dumb and lazy?”

I stopped what I was doing and asked her, “What?”

She repeated herself with a tone that basically said I was proving her right just by asking her that question.

So I asked another, “Do you really think I’m dumb and lazy?”

She shrugged and said, “Kinda.”

Okay then.
I thought about being upset by this. I considered it for a few seconds and then shrugged it off because, well, for one thing, it was Olivia saying it and sometimes she’s just got odd thoughts about some things. Second, she’s TEN. So what if she really does think I’m dumb and lazy?

I know I’m not. I mean, I was doing something FOR HER at the moment she asked me that obnoxious question.

I mentioned it to Tom and he laughed and said, “Let’s consider the source.”

And he’s right. But I do find myself wondering why she’d think I’m dumb and lazy. I get why she’d say it to me if she’s thinking it, she’s got no filter, at least as far as family is concerned. If she thinks it while at home, she’s says it. But to have said it…she had to think it.

I did stop with the nail care that evening and told her to think about what dumb and lazy really mean and if she really thinks I’m those things, well, she can think about everything I do for her on a daily basis and then rethink her opinion.

I’m not going to let this fester. There’s no point. And I’m not going to bother pointing out things to her that I’m doing in the hopes of getting her to realize that I’m not, in fact, dumb and lazy. I mean, like I said, she’s ten. And she’s Olivia. And! I’m the adult in this relationship. But I thought it was interesting and wanted to put it here, maybe just as a reminder of the things kids say.

2 comments:

Julie said...

Wow, I admire you so much!! I would have yelled and cried and then let it fester. It sounds like you got your point across without getting mad at her.

Anonymous said...

Maybe she heard the phrase at school and just wanted to try it out on you, without really thinking it thru. I think you handled it just right.