She's only 9; yet we are already getting DUMB!

This weekend John, Moriah, and I went with two of his band students to the Arkansas All-Star clinic in Atkins. Moriah will readily take care of her little brother when she is asked to but "her needs" are always first priority. I can see that! She was IT for over 8 years!

Saturday morning, she was on the bed watching TV. John and I were getting things ready to go home. John asked Moriah to watch Luke and not to let him fall off the bed (AGAIN!). Moriah put her hand on Luke and went on watching her "shows." I was taking the luggage cart out in the hallway to get it out of the way. I heard John say "Moriah! You were supposed to be watching him!" I paused for a moment waiting to hear a "THUD!" If you have never heard a baby fall off of a bed it is a very distinctive sound followed by the screams of what must be a thousand babies. No thud! Everything must be OK! John had seen Luke going for the edge and managed to get there before the "thud!"

Every time something like this happens. Moriah, being very sensitive, starts to cry. I went back in the room and of course, the tears they were a flowin'. I told her to come help me load the car up so we could leave. She gladly came to avoid further scourging. We were talking as we were loading up the car. It is always good in this type situation to actually avoid conversation about the actual happenings of the preceding event. Moriah asked, "Momma, why did Dad hit me?"
I inquired, "Dad hit you?"
"Yes," she said, "when I wasn't watching Luke very well."
"How did he hit you?"
"Like this." forming her hand like she was going to "thump" someone.
I told her that isn't really hitting. I tried to explain to her how important it is that Luke not continually fall on his head that eventually it's going to hurt....................really bad. She said, "I know but sometimes Dad has..........................................."
"Issues?" I asked.
"Well, I think he isn't very smart." she said. I looked at her and she was serious!
I laughed. Then, I said, "Moriah, that isn't nice. Don't say things like that about your daddy. Besides, if he heard you say that don't you think you would get in trouble." She giggled.

Every time I would think about it, I would start laughing on the inside and a smile would break. Then, when he finally asked. I told him I would tell him later, maybe years later. But, I kept it for as long as I could. I had to share it! I told him not to be mad at her she has to vent sometimes. I'd rather she share her true thoughts (not that John being "not smart" is a true thought) than to bottle them up and explode when she is a teenager and unload the whole truck of what bad parents we are all at once. Even though, I know realistically this is going to happen anyway. John's only comment upon this new thorn in his ego, "It's started already! She's 9 and we are already getting dumber!"

Saturday night in the hotel in Atlanta, we were playing on the bed and Moriah was being her usually jolly self. She said something along the lines that she was smart like me (which is SO NOT true, I can only dream about having the creativity that she does.). John said, "I'm smart!"
She said, "No, no, no! You are UNsmart! You have a tiny brain." I'm pretty sure that I lost consciousness for a moment. The next thing I remember is this statement from her: "I heard somewhere that babies have little brains. So Luke isn't very smart either."
"Like who?" I asked. "Like Dad!" she said giggling.

After laughing for a while, I think I told her again that wasn't nice to say about her daddy and brother. I think I did. I may not have. Oh well, I thought it my massively BIG ol' GIRL brain!!!!!