Ms. Abigail, The Intellectual

My little girl is an obstinate intellectual. Nothing will keep her away from reading. And, as many adults do when they go potty, Abbie likes to read when her diaper's being changed. That's her private time to catch up on her important reading, though not the *only* time she devotes to it, by all means!

When I tell her, "Come on. Let's refresh your diapey", that's her cue: she goes to her bookshelf and picks up the books that she intends to peruse while I perform my duties. Or, she will go to my basket and find an interesting gossip magazine to read, she's not completely stuffy! She knows the latest tittle-tattles and scandals, as well as who's who in Hollywood better than I do. She also knows the content of each of her books: after all, her diapers get changed often throughout the day! At times, when everything has gotten old and trite, Abigail considers other alternatives, such as my and Christopher's books. The other day she got changed to the tune of "My War" by Andy Rooney... to each its own, as I like to say.

Selecting what to read is no easy task, and it's even tougher when there are so many options! It does take a few minutes, during which Abbie usually deliberates out loud over each book expressing acceptance or rejection. After picking up her reading of choice for the moment, she goes to her changing pad, and, in her own time -- eventually --, she'll lay on it and immerse herself in the wonderful world of erudition. At times she will laugh to herself about something funny she's reading; or she will read out loud (definitely hooked-on-phonics).

I often tease her by not telling her that "I am done". She continues her reading until my silence and the fact that I'm just sitting there idle, awakens her back to reality. At that point she says something to me like, "Oh, so you are done?", gets up, and gets on with life.