Rachel the grownup

In the last two weeks it seems as if Rachel has become even more mature, as if she's taken a step or two forward. Tonight she kept asking me if I needed help doing anything, and she insisted on coming downstairs and helping me put my laundry in the washing machine. It's getting to the point that I really have to be careful about doing housework around her because she'll invariably offer to help and then get very upset if I can't give her a job to do.

That may abate somewhat when I put together a family chore list at the end of this week, which is one of my New Year's resolutions for 2013.

She also is a great conversationalist. She has started saying things like, "most 4 and a halfs don't do..." to show us how grown-up she is. Tonight she said, "Amanda's 5 and she can't even read her My Little Pony books."

That struck a wrong chord with me, so I told her I wanted to talk to her about something. "Let's have a conversation!" she exclaimed, and I told her that not every kid has parents who love books and read to their kids all the time, and that it's OK to say things like she did about Amanda to me and to Daddy, but not to tell other kids that. "I won't, because it will make them feel bad," she said, and she seemed to get the message. Everyone has a different talent, I told her -- maybe Amanda is good at sports. "Amanda takes soccer lessons every Friday!" Rachel said, and I told her that that may be Amanda's talent, and that as she grows up she needs to respect everyone's talent even though it may be different from her own.

***

"When I grow up I'm gonna be a Sweet Adeline," Rachel said at dinner tonight. "And I'm gonna stand next to you on the risers."

"I would LOVE it if you stood next to me on the risers!" I exclaimed.

"And then we can smile at each other when Ryan's not looking," she added. "Because we don't want to be kicked out of the chorus!"

***

We were discussing our plans for two weekends from now when we'll head to Seattle on Saturday so Rachel can attend a hockey game with Amanda and Jenn and Drew and I can go out to dinner at a place nearby. We'll stay with Amanda and Jenn and head back on Sunday.

Rachel's summary of the weekend: "You'll go out to dinner and talk about the law school and what kind of cereal you like. And I get to go to an exciting HOCKEY game! Yay! I get to eat POPCORN!"

Clearly she believes she will have a better time than we will!

***

"You know why I love the Northwesterns?" Rachel said. "'Cause they wear purple! And purple is my favorite color!"

I explained that Northwestern students are called Wildcats and not Northwesterns. She wasn't buying it.

"You call them Northwesterns, 'cause, like, they're all in a group!"

***

"When I get older and you're at a bookstore and you want something, call me," Rachel instructed me tonight. "And I'll put a tag on it and it'll have no price on it, 'cause it'll be free. 'Cause you're my parents."