We go to the Aquarium

"You can't be a dog when we go out."
For several months, Maia has been pretending to be a dog.
"I love dogs," she said by way of explanation. "Pretend I'm a dog named Maxie, and I have a curly tail and white fur."
We had been to the Aquarium, and had stopped at a plate lunch place for something to eat. She was sitting on a bench with her legs hunched under her like a dog might sit on its haunches.
She really does love dogs. Cats, not so much. "Except big cats," she said.
Maia protested about not being able to sit like a dog.
"You just can't, Maia. You have to sit nicely."
She didn't understand, but she relented.
There's a lot going on in her head lately.
On the way to the Aquarium, Kristina repeated something Maia had said today.
"She said, 'I don't understand the difference between joking and lying.'"
"And pretending," Maia said. "I don't understnad the difference between joking and lying and pretending."
We talked about this--intent, situation, and whatnot--but I think these are things she's going to have to work through on her own.
John, Saturday, March 13, 2010