In other news, an Eva-cdote!

[conuly]

We were heading towards the boat to meet their dad. Had I known there'd be terrible train trouble, I wouldn't've bothered to leave for another few hours, let me tell you.

At any rate, as we crossed the street I said "Come on, hurry up duckies!"

Eva: I'm not a baby duck!
Me: That'd be duckling. I said duckies.
Eva: I'm not any sort of duck!
Me: *gushy voice* Yes you are, you're my sweet little puddle duck!
Eva: I am not. I am a woman. *swaggerswagger*
Me: Well, you're a little girl.
Eva: I am a woman and I drive and everything!

Comments

[elenbarathi.livejournal.com]

I don't see that enjoying games, blowing bubbles or eating peanut-butter sandwiches are intrinsically 'childish' activities. Games are far more of an adult obsession than a childish one - games are transmitted by instruction, adult or older kid to younger kid; they're a cultural artifact. Everybody likes blowing bubbles; adults just usually have the choice of other, more interesting or productive activities. Same with the peanut butter: children eat it because it's there; because - being children - they can't just grill themselves a steak, whip up some chocolate eclairs, order a delivery pizza or go out to the Chinese buffet. If given total control over their own diets, I don't believe most children would ever choose to eat peanut butter.

Children aren't 'irresponsible'. Children are 'not responsible'. Yes, that is the defining characteristic of 'childhood' as opposed to 'adulthood': adults are presumed to be responsible for themselves and their own actions - to be capable of looking after themselves and getting along with others. Left to their own devices, children are not capable of looking out for themselves very well, nor of protecting themselves from others who would exploit them, nor of refraining from actions that will upset others, so when there's no adult to be responsible for them, they're in trouble, emotionally if not physically.

From a biological standpoint, 'maturity' is when a creature is ready to stop being parented, and begin parenting. Modern human society has a lot of compelling reasons to delay parenting as long as possible - having a first child 30 years after menarche is not that unusual any more - but it's pretty-well scrambled the whole concept of 'maturity' in the old-fashioned sense of "ready to settle down and start a family".