But, I want to go to bed early!

Along with her clothing optional escapades, Lauren has been cracking me up with her vocabulary. She thinks she is so independent - she wants to be running the show. In defiance of Robie and I's selected bed time for her, she has announced the last two nights, "But I want to go to bed early". I have reassured her that she is, in fact, going to bed early, which only agitates her more as she tries to explain to me how her plan to go to bed "early" actually means she should stay awake longer. Of course, I am well aware that she actually means, "late" but I'd rather play up the early situation as long as I can with phrases such as:

• Why, of course you can go to bed early Lauren


• Lauren, would you like to go to bed early tonight?


• Let's get home so we can get ready and then get to bed early

Poor kid. At least I'm trying to help her get "tomorrow" and "yesterday" figured out. Right now "tomorrow" is actually the term for both "tomorrow" and "yesterday". It can get very confusing, for example, when she is asking where we are going tomorrow and then doesn't like my answer, because really she is trying to remember the name of the place we were yesterday. It kind of makes me wonder if that is how aloha came to mean both hello and goodbye. Maybe at some point long long ago on one of the Hawaiian islands, one small child just couldn't get it right and eventually their parents just gave up - next thing you know its a cultural phenomenon. I mean, "sick" has changed meanings in my lifetime, right?