Good Advice From a Six Year Old

"You're funny, Mom" Pepper says to me as we're hangin' in the car, waiting to pick up Norah from guitar lesson. Stewie is sleeping in his car-seat and I'd like to keep it that way for a few minutes, so we're hangin' in the car and I'm entertaining her the best way I know how, which is to pour on the silly. For some reason, the specifics of which I'll state for the record I have no recollection, I decide to turn it into a lecture.

Me: "Well, it's not always a good idea to be funny"

Pepper: "I guess you're right."

Me: "So when would it be better to be serious?"

Her recommendations:

• Going down the stairs. If you'd be all funny and games you could fall.


• Math. If you make all your math funny you'll run out of time to do your math. [me: "well can't math be funny or at least fun?" her: "shut-UP nerd-mom" actually more of a blank stare, but she was thinking it. At least her future self was]


• Driving [remember, we are in the car]. Because if you'll be all funny and 'aaaaa!!!' [madly turning imaginary steering wheel with eyes closed] that's bad.


• Getting hurt. Because if the other person doesn't care about it, it could get worse.

Me: "Those are all good points!"

Pepper: [ignoring me & diverting attention to the technology] "Is the fish & chips festival thing I said on there?" [Pointing to the crackberry, on which I'm writing this, and where I took down that gem]

Me: "No, I already sent it to my blog"

Pepper: "Your blob??"