Yesterday evening, Jessica and I were talking — about what, I don’t recall. Namine quietly and politely said, “Excuse me, Daddy.”
I knew what she meant, but I said to her, “You’re excused.”
She looked at me funny. “No, Daddy. I wanted to talk to you.” Then she launched into an explanation: “When you say excuse me, sometimes it’s because you burp or fart. But sometimes you say excuse me because you want to talk to someone. I said ‘excuse me’ because I wanted to say something to you.”
I was just being silly with her, but she showed me two things. First, that she understands that a single phrase can have multiple meanings based on context. And second, she can explain it clearly and concisely, if a little crudely. But come on, she’s six.
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