Iz's Secrets

Seymour informed me that Iz, in the midst of discussing sibling variations with Babysitter A (what are stepsisters, etc.), told Leelo's resilient babysitter all about the half brother Iz herself has never met.

Time to have another talk with our girl about information sharing, and to add Adoption to her list of not-to-be-sprung-without-asking-first conversation topics. (The others are Reproduction and Politics.)

I will be giving her the same guidelines as we did for those other subjects: People in her immediate family do not mind talking about it, but people outside of our family may view it as a very personal subject--and it may make them uncomfortable. Therefore it is best to bring it up only within context rather than spontaneously. And it was certainly not a problem for her to volunteer it to Babysitter A, given what they were talking about.

I told her a big secret today: that people loooooove polite kids. They love them so much that well-mannered kids can get away with almost anything! "Not lying, though," said Iz. "Well, no, of course not lying," I said, grateful that she couldn't see me snickering from her back row car seat. Politeness, I reiterated, is a key to doors that might otherwise be shut.

Should be interesting to see how this plays out.

I also apologized to her for constantly chiding her about her manners. I told her that I didn't enjoy doing it, but that it was my job, and that it has nothing to do with how much I love her--in fact, if I didn't love her so much I wouldn't do it because I wouldn't care. She said that it doesn't bother her. I hope she wasn't just being polite.

She had a minor fit today in trying to follow one of the lessons from a certain Diva's Manga S3crets book. She wanted to draw a complex "bad girl" character, instantly, and was frustrated when I told her that very few people could sit right down and draw perfect manga characters without practicing first. I told her that the book contained guidelines for practicing practicing practicing until the techniques click, and that most artist draws all the time to keep their talents fit and perky--just as athletes exercise and readers read.

I then drew a simpler character and had her copy it. Which she did, really well (I think that, if nothing else, a future as a tattoo artist awaits). But she was still irked. And I was looking into a mirror, because I also hate practicing anything--I want to DO it. Exercises and practice suck.

She wants to build a camera obscura tomorrow. Anyone want to come join in the fun?