Isn\'t She a \'Smoothie\'?!

Olivia and I worked on her Chinese homework after dinner today as usual. I let her read the text and I help out whenever she comes across the words she doesn't know. There was one sentence in the text read "爷爷很喜欢这个孙子(The grandfather really likes his grandson)". Olivia got stuck when I pointed to the word "喜欢(like)".

" Olivia, 'like' is a very important word you should remember. If you happen to like a Chinese boy when you grow up, you may have to use this word to tell him some day." I joked to her.

"Wait a minute, mom. Are you saying you want me to marry a Chinese guy?" she asked.

"No, I am not saying I want you to marry a Chinese guy, but you never know. Anything can happen." I said.

"I, "she emphasized, "am going to marry an American boy." She made that very clear to me.

"Oh by the way mom, what if I like a boy you don't like? What would you do? You know in those movies, the parents don't like their daughter's boyfriend that they start to lose their minds and even have to go to the hospitals? What would you do if you don't like the boy I like?" Olivia finished asking with a "let me see how you would answer this" smile on her face.

Ha ha, another age inappropriate question from her, of course triggered by her mother's inappropriate needlingJ. I smiled back and decided to turn the table around.

"What would you do if I don't like the boy you like? Say I am so upset about you liking him that I get sick and end up in the hospital. Would you break up with him because of me or would you continue dating him and not care about how I feel?" I asked with the same smile on my face.

Olivia's smile widened as she was put on the spot. She thought for a second and then said to me in a low and giggling voice: "I would secretly date him and not let you know. Ha ha…"

"Secretly date him behind my back?!" I was not prepared for such candorJ.

"Ah-ha. I would take care of you at the hospital and then go secretly dating him." She said and both of us started laughing.

"Do you know this means you are lying to me?" I gave her the hard time.

"Well, I care about you so I don't want to tell you but I care about him too because I like him." She explained.

Oh gosh, she is not even nine years old but looks like she's already got everything figured outJ.