Athena's Budding Humor

I enjoy Athena’s budding humor. She’s only four but her humor is clever. I’ve told her before that I don’t want her leaving messy chap-stick kisses on Anna’s sweet head. I don’t want anything defiling her sweet baby smell. She also knows not to go in Anna’s room while Anna sleeps.

Well I had just rocked Anna to sleep and laid her down for a nap when Athena came downstairs and nonchalantly said, “I went into Anna’s room, and woke her up, and gave her a kiss with my chap-stick.”

I turned around with my angry mom face and said, “You are in trouble!”

“Just kidding mom!” She countered quickly with a smile.

I looked at her and laughed in surprise. Clever girl has picked up on sarcasm! And not the condescending type, but the ironically comical type. I was proud of her! Later she walked into the office as I was on the computer. She was holding her crotch doing the potty dance like she was going to lose it.

“Go potty! Don’t hold it!” I demanded, my eyes big and serious. You know the look- the one moms give when they want to be listened to now.

“Haha! Kidding!” she said triumphantly.
“You bugger!” I said laughing, and I poked her tummy. “I can’t believe you got me!”

As I put her in bed tonight I said, “You were so funny today. You are a joker now.” She laughed and rehearsed all the jokes she had played on me that day. But she added one I didn’t recall. She said, “In the car I told you I ate a tree at the restaurant.” But my mind was driving then so that one slipped by me.

I probably replied something like. “You did? That’s crazy.”