Newsflash From PA

For immediate release

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RESPONSIBLE OLDEST GIRL RECEIVES THRILLING GIFT

Merry Cockroft, responsible eldest girl of three, received a bright pink case of make-up Sunday afternoon. Her response?

"It's a relief and pleasure for me to receive something frivolous," she said, or would have, had she articulated the look of bright excitement that lit up her large eyes.

"Merry gets a lot of books," her mother said. "Everyone thinks Merry likes books the best, and she does enjoy them, but sometimes she just wants to be a kid. I try reminding her that she is the most responsible, the most mature, the most grown-up of young women. But she is eight. Wanting a frivolous present is understandable, I guess."

Watched by her younger sister, Elspeth, Merry carefully applied purple eyeshadow above and below both eyes. Then she walked around like "she was somethin' hot," a bystander observed.

"I like the black eye appearance," her father commented. "It makes Merry look older and more mature."

Both parents are processing Merry's unexpected glee at the pink duffel of make-up. "It will take us a while to get over the shock," her mother said, quietly zipping the bag around the twenty shades of eyeshadow, "But we must remember, children are complex. We may think they only like books and lists of spelling words, but they are full of surprises."

Elspeth, who is enjoying her book of Tinkerbell stickers, also shocked her parents. "We always expect Elspeth to do the unexpected," said her father. "Her mother and I were sure we'd find stickers on her baby sister, on the walls, possibly up her nose, and on pots and pans." Instead, her mother reported, Elspeth covered papers with the stickers--"Paper!" her mother emphasized, wiping a tear from her eye. "Just like really responsible children! It just goes to show you," she added, deftly swiping the makeup duffel out of reach of Elspeth and her baby sister, "Children are full of surprises. Truly. That's my Christmas message to you and your family this year: Enjoy the unexpected. I have."

Happy, Busy Weeks and Elspeth

Well, it's been an extremely busy holiday season here, and we're on the cusp of a trip to Texas. On the day we arrive back (Christmas) in PA, so do all of my family members!

Before I get carried away in the final pack/clean, here's a little Elspeth story I've been saving for some days now. A little background: Thomas is a boy in Elspeth's preschool. He features largely as a character of mischief in her stories, and the troubles he encounters and the devious nature he shows in her narratives are certain embellishments of what I am sure is a peaceful, calm demeanor. When I try to pry details of preschool out of her, mostly what I get are Thomas Stories instead. This one was too good not to record. Following are her words:

Thomas was inside his Mommy waiting to be born. And he ate one of his Mommy's bones. Then they jumped over the sea and he got swallowed by a fish. He jumped over the moon and that's all of the story.

Happy Christmas season, everyone!