sugar, spice, and everything else...

i love kids. no, no, wait...let me finish. i love how everything is a matter of life or death to them. i was at the library after work today and as i was leaving i overheard a conversation between two boys who were probably eight-years-old or so. "she told me she was just trying to make you jealous, but she still likes you," one little guy said to the other little guy, to which he responded, "really, man? she said that?" i shook my head and laughed a little. so young, but already their lives are being turned upside-down. it reminded me of an incident that occurred the other weekend, when i went back to visit my family. while there, i had the opportunity to have lunch with my five-year-old niece at her school. things were going great until she walked up. disguised as a five-year-old kindergartner, she whispered something that was obviously dramatic and shocking to my niece, based on her reaction: oooooo...she is sooo buuusted. and she said it in that up and down inflection that makes the ending sound more like a question than a statement. my ears perked up and i looked at my niece with horror. first of all, what could be so horrible in a five-year-old's life that would cause such a response? and second of all, i had never heard my niece talk like this! where did she pick this up from? and then, i realized as i looked at the vertically-challenged senior high girl disguised as my niece's five-year-old best friend that she did this. she was responsible for blasting away my niece's youth. jerk. thank god the cafeteria monitor came by and made miz thang go back to her seat. sadly, cafeteria monitors have the same influence on children as they did when i was in school--absolutely no influence whatsoever. a few minutes later, i assume upon seeing my niece and i having a wonderful time without the use of dramatics and sing-song conversation, she snuck up behind my niece and loudly whispered (and spit) into my niece's ear as she looked directly at me, "who's that?!" i wanted to stand up and tower over her and say, "her aunt! what of it, shorty?!" throwing up my hands and thrusting out my chest in that oh-so-threatening way, but i restrained myself and let my niece answer. "oh, she's my aunt. that's it? that's all i get? i'm just her aunt? regardless, i felt a smug look coming on and i made for damn sure that it was directed at miz thang. the girl looked at me and walked back to her seat. ugh. i just kept replaying that little scene in my head. my niece was growing up way too fast! here she was, sitting in the cafeteria, and having the conversations that i laughed at when i overhead such things in junior high and high school, and talking to a girl that seemed like the type of girl to be the center of "the popular kids" and shunned everyone else. i was getting scared for my niece's future! what if she grew up to be that popular girl that i despised when i was in school?! what if she grew up to be a snob?! my mind was racing and racing until my niece informed me that lunch was over and she had to head back to class. i snapped back to reality and saw my little girl, all cute in her little outfit, brushing back that one lock of hair that never seemed to stay in place, looking at me with those beautiful, big, dark brown eyes. i stood up and watched as she fell into line with the rest of her class and watched as she started down the hall. before she got too far away, i called her name softly, not wanting to embarrass this cool kindergartner, and motioned for her to come over. this little lunch date would just-so-happen to be the last time i would see her until thanksgiving or possibly christmas and i wanted her to know that it was okay for her to grow up while i wasn't around. i scrunched down in front her and said, "now, you don't have to, 'cause i know you're in front of your friends and all, but can i get a hug? the next thing that happened, i will remember for the rest of my life. a huge smile crossed her face. "of course!" she exclaimed, as she threw her arms around my neck and kicked her legs up so i would have to hold her tighter so she didn't plummet to the ground. i stood up, holding on to her and hugging her, and it was then that i realized that no matter how old she gets and no matter who she hangs around, she'll still be my baby girl. and as for miz thang,...she probably just suffers from not having an aunt as cool as i.