When a child is not childish

Sometimes my daughter makes me smile.

Recently we were out and about on a day which experienced a rapid 40 degree temperature drop. I already felt a little guilty because since it was still warm when we had left the house, she had only grabbed a light jacket against the wind.

Well, before long it was no longer 80 degrees with wind, but 40 degrees- and still dropping- with wind. While hopping in and out of the car running errands, she took her jacket off and tied it around her waist- and she was wearing only a short sleeved T-shirt. I felt like a bad parent- or I was afraid "people" would think that of me. (I sometimes forget to trust her to know when she's hot or cold, just as my parents forgot to trust me in the same situation. And I know she's very hot natured.)

I told her I wished she would choose to put her jacket on, because I didn't want to force her.

Her simple reply was priceless: "It's not right to force people."

I admitted she was right, and then she qualified it a little by adding "...unless they are trying to hit you".

Yeah, she still needs to do a little fine tuning, but she's going in the right direction.

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