Manners

We'd promised Kate if she was good while we were forced (by Jeremiah, who knows how I feel about this sort of thing) to go to the mall to buy new jeans she could have a treat. I think I deserve a treat. I hate the mall. I wanted to pick up a nicely broken in pair of duds at Clothing Warehouse, which is a stand-alone vintage clothing shop in Little 5 Points and does not require me to enter any mall. Mr. Bourgeoisie had to have brand new jeans and since neither of us had purchased a pair in over 3 years I felt compelled to acquiesce. We told Sarah she could have a treat, too, but she didn't care.

So we got jeans, which was a good thing because I'd have been even more put out if we schlepped all the way to stinkin' Lenox Mall and left that godforsaken place empty-handed. Kate and Sarah were both better behaved than I, and so deserved a treat. We headed to the candy store. As luck would have it, though they did not have the pink bubble gum Kate was requesting,they were giving away chocolate lollipops and these weird, chocolate cracker type things (perfect for the uninitiated 15-month-old). So both girls got a treat and it didn't cost us anything but one full hour of my precious youth which I would really like to have back.

That's not what I came here to talk about, though. All I really wanted to share was that on the car ride home, as Kate was finishing spreading chocolate lollipop all over her face, she let out a noisy belch. "Kate!" Jeremiah said "Did you just burp?" He was looking for the expected "excuse me" from her. She nodded. Then, after a beat, added "I don't care."

We are, it would seem, approaching that delicate and long-lived part of parenthood where we are forced to determine what is more important - honesty or manners. This one was a no-brainer, the truth is no one else in the car cared that she burped, either, and I have to give the kid full marks for brazenness. I like the cut of her jib.