mad, mad

Babs has an very good understanding of mad. It's an emotion that she quickly identifies in others, and in herself. She is also quick to assign the emotion to her toys that may have "mad faces." In fact, while we were playing with a dress-up puzzle yesterday, she even dressed him in his "mad shirt," which was red. In her pretend play, people get made all the time.

The other night she was getting in major trouble (because she likes to throw cups of water on the floor, but only at dinner time). Babs was discussing with her daddy the end of her time out, and the conversation went something like this:

D: What did you do wrong?

B: I dun-no.

D: You threw water. We do not throw water.

B: We don't throw water. Then daddy gets MAD.

D: Yes, I am mad.
B: Then I get MAD. I MAD! My time-out is done. I need to wash my sticky hands!

Her fixation with being mad is always surprising to me. Perhaps because Kiddo had to teach herself what mad is. But Babs has always known, and seems to identify with it really well.

Here she is, not so mad.