everything i need to know

My niece is more insightful at age two than most people are in their entire lifetimes. It’s funny to hear her say oh, no when she can see something is not going right. She knows that a kiss will make any hurts disappear. I’ve seen her kiss her own bo-bos if she thinks no one’s around and then resume playing.

At McDonald’s she chooses lettuce and tomatoes over her french fries and burger. And at toy stores, she plays with the toys and reads each book, but doesn’t feel the need to buy any of them and bring them home, even when I offer. She smiles at strangers and knows how to take a compliment. She knows that everything deserves a name, and treats boy, girl, black, white, and everything else exactly the same.