3-Year-Old Lessons in Logic

The beauty of preschoolers is the logical way their minds work. They simply look at the world differently than we do. Here are three examples from the past few days.

The other day, Emma wanted yet another treat. Not just any treat, mind you. Chocolate. It's something she could eat all day long, regardless of the fact that it makes her hyper and grouchy.

For the nth time, Emma whined from the back seat, "I want a treat, Mommy! Pleeeeasssse, may I have a treat!"

For the nth time, I explained that she could not have another treat because she'd already had her quota.

She howled as if being pulled limb from limb.

"Emma," I said calmly, belying the exasperation I felt. "I would be a bad mommy if I gave you another treat."

Without missing a beat, she yelled at the top of her lungs:

"Be a bad mommy, pleeaaaease be a bad mommy! I want a bad mommy!!!"

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Speaking of chocolate, we were walking through the dairy section at the store Wednesday morning, and Emma saw the chocolate milk. We NEVER buy chocolate milk, but she asked for it. I told her no, that if we want chocolate milk, we can make it ourselves at home.

A few minutes later, we passed a woman near the cheese. She was using an electric wheelchair, and she was black.

"Look, Mommy, that lady is chocolate! She made herself chocolate at home!"

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Speaking of wheelchairs, when we were heading out to the store yesterday morning, Emma said her knee hurt. (Well, she said ankle, but she kept holding her knee.) As she limped out the door, she declared: "Mommy, I got an idea! I need a wheelchair!"