He's a Funny Kid

We've already established that Sam, my sister's (recently turned) three-year-old is an intelligent, articulate and amusing kid. We like him lots. One day last week Ruthie and I were hanging out with Sam and his eleven-(ish)-month-old sister Cassie. Cassie's a pretty girl and (they say) has a great smile, but the list of people in the world that she's cool with is very, very short. And if she's not cool with you she screams and cries and screams...and cries....and screams.

So I'm sitting on the couch with Sam trying to decide whether to play trains or watch Lord of the Rings and Cassie is doing what my mother, (or was it Aunt Marji?) used to refer to as "wailing like a banshee," and I turn to Sam and say, "Cassie's crying."

And he says, "She does it every day -- I hate it." Come on, this kid's three.

And because it's a game for me now, I say, "Sam, is Cassie a monster?"

And he turns to me thoughtfully --it's not a game for him -- shuts one eye and raises the opposite eyebrow and says, "No, she's a crab."