I'm afraid I have been a little too unkind. I have created a little monster, it seems. I didn't think it would get this far. But it did.
There is this ongoing joke between my little bro and I that I would train my girls to hate all of his girlfriends. Being the mature, older sister I obviously couldn't do the hating myself. But I assured him my girls would give his lady friends a hard time. Just cuz. I'm a brat like that.
For years, I have heard my family talk about how I almost ran Caucasian sister-in-law out of town when I found a piece of paper in my brother's room that she wrote him, scrawled with little girl writing, Call me! 555-0283. I'm 18 now! Uh, yeh. No. I tossed it in the trash.
Obviously I must have lost my touch because it's eleven years later and Caucasian sister-in-law is still around.
Heh.
Once, when I was about seven years old, I was spending time with my favorite aunt. She invited this ugly, red-headed dude to come over and "hang out". They took me for a walk, bought me an ice cream, all the while smootching and holding hands. Disgusting. I just glared at him underneath my bushy eyebrows. In the backyard, I was practicing my around-the-world twirls on a bar near the porch. This was where I performed "gymnastics". He and my aunt were sitting there giggling and talking. I did a twirl and kicked my leg out. Then I told him, in the deadliest tone my little seven-year-old tongue could muster,"Watch out. I might kick you in the face."
I have never heard the end of that one either.
And now this.
Xixi spent the night with her Grandma-mama and Josh had a female friend over. Xixi marched right up to her.
"Aw yooo his doyl-fwend?" She demanded. My Xixi translation book says, are you his girlfriend?
"Yes." The girl answered. I can just tell you right now, this isn't going to end well.
"You're ugleeeee! I'm gonna punch you in da face!!"
My poor little brother was horrified and shocked. And his lady friend was like, oh what a cute little girl.
"You're ugleeeee! You're ugleeeee!"
Sigh.
I take full responsibility. I admit, I laughed at first. I'm not proud of it. But that was something really out of character for Xixi. She isn't mean like this at all. And the way Josh reenacted it for me was hilarious. But then I felt bad. So the next day I took Xixi to the side and talked to her about it.
"Why would you say such mean things to one of Uncle Josh's friends?" I asked her.
"Cuz she was ugleee, mama." She said very simply. Not exactly the remorse I was looking for.
So I had to tell her it was wrong to treat someone that way. How mama was only joking about beating up his girlfriends. How she probably hurt the girl's feelings and embarrassed Uncle Josh. She nodded her little head.
But I have a feeling this won't be first or the last girl my daughter decides she wants to torture. With five older brothers, the possibilities are endless.
