daddy, i’m smiling, so i must be a good girl
life with a little girl is always frustrating and occasionally entertaining. (hold on, i might have mixed something up there … i haven’t decided if i’m going to be nice or honest.) the latest quirk is, whenever i catch her doing something she knows is wrong — in the act, red-handed, no need for a jury of her peers — she’ll stop, look right at me, and smile. and not just any smile. this is the sickest, most insincere, get-on-your-nerves kind of smile you ever did see. (horrifying thought: what if it’s not just a passing quirk?!)
it’s fake! she knows it, i know it, and she knows i know it. but still she’ll strike her pose, flaunt her evil ways in front of dear ol’ dad and say, “i’m a good girl, daddy. see? i’m smiling.”
(thoughts of Child and Family Services prevent me from wiping the smile off her face.)
it strikes me as childish, but then, she’s a child. she has an excuse, for now. and i was reminded of how those of us who don’t have that excuse still seem to find a way to keep up the act. with our boss, our spouse, our God. we might have had more time to perfect the smile with more realistic sincerity, but don’t be fooled — there’s no less fakery involved. and i’d love to say otherwise, but from time to time, that’s me.
it’s no fun being shown my own shortcomings in the face of my child, but sometimes i wonder if that’s why they’re there.
Leave a Reply