The fault is entirely mine. Whenever Gab calls my attention to something be it big or small, I would ask her in this exasperated tone of voice: “What’s the problem?” Like she needs an actual practical problem to warrant my notice. Thus the word ‘problem’ is deeply embedded in her vocabulary and she uses it as freely as she uses the word, say, ‘drink.’
So from little things like being unable to put on her shoes to spilling juice on the floor, her line would be: “Mom, I have a problem.”
We understand each other so this has never been a… er, problem with us. But I was to learn that her vocabulary can cause a bit of a misunderstanding sometimes.
Her younger cousin, JJ, visited us recently. She has never been able to get along well with this cousin of hers. Probably because they can both be pigheaded attention-seeking showoffs. As my brother puts it: JJ’s king at their house while Gab’s queen at ours so when they meet, a fight for territory almost always ensues. Evidently, at their young age they are oblivious to the finer points of ruling a kingdom and as such, protocol and diplomacy are totally lost to them.
At one point during their latest encounter, Gab told JJ: “You are my problem.”
Out of context, this statement’s quite serious until I explained to my sister why Gab uses that term. She was really just laughing it off but only because she thought it amusing that Gab meant something like: “If only you weren’t born JJ, I’d have everyone’s love all to myself and I wouldn’t need to share my toys too.”
Hmm…
I can’t think of a wrap for this one so I’m letting it end with hmm…
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gabrielle is a little girl living in manila, philippines. she is a future graphic artist, wildlife photographer, veterinarian, broadway actor and magician.
