Precocious

Millie always greets me after her two-hour/3day/week preschool as though we've been apart for weeks. Such excitement and devotion.

I always look forward to our conversations as we drive home. Lately her pictures (and white board, and chalk board(she colors for several hours every day)) are covered with letters --usually a wide variety, but always a B-A-L-L and C-A-T. Today she had added an M after CAT.

I said, "Millie, your pictures are sure looking lovely. And there are those words again, 'ball and cat."
She replied, "yeah, but what does it say when there's a M on cat?"
"Um... catum."
"Is that really a word?"
"Well, not really." (I always feel guilty when I have to admit that (is it because I'm a blue personality?)
"But," I say, " what would happen if the M were at the beginning of the word, and it was M-A-T?"
"That would be mat."
"Good Millie. How would you spell...pat?
"P-A-T."
"Right. How about um...bat?"
"B-A-T."
"Millie, you are doing so great!" (I say with recognition and pride that she is my first child to really understand all of this prior to kindergarten.)
"What about...sat?"
"P-E-O-S."
"Hmm-- If M-A-T spells mat, and that sounds like sat...I know, what makes an sssss sound, like snake?"
"S!"
"Right. Now what would come next --for at?"
"O-Q-P!"
"Well, I can tell you're doing some good thinking."

Silence for the next couple of minutes.
Then she says while looking out the window,"But I can't spell hippopotamus."

Ah Ha. --She belongs in our family after all.