Our Literalist

lit·er·al·ism: n. Adherence to the explicit sense of a given text or doctrine.

In swimming lessons recently WeeOne was getting used to having her face in the water. She isn’t afraid of it really, she and her mer-sister dunk their faces in all the time. In fact, WeeOne has always been more comfortable with water on her face than LaGrande,

BUT

She is three now and if she isn’t (is?) in the mood, she interprets instructions very literally: sometimes honestly and occasionally, and even successfully, as an escape. We may never know her motivations on this day but literalism mode was on.

The instructor put the front of her own face in the water, blew some bubbles, came up for air and said:

Okay ladies, it’s time to get our noses wet!

With these ‘clear’ instructions WeeOne promptly dabbed her free hand into the pool, brought it up to her face, and patted her nose until wet. Next.

3 thoughts on “Our Literalist”

  1. Great Scott!! What logic; A budding Engineer!!
    [Wait a minute– Philosophers also use logic, don’t they!!?]

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  2. My Dad used to tell us it was time to hit the sack, so I would run into the kitchen, pull out the bottom drawer where my Mom kept the paper grocery bags and give one a punch. You can only imagine how well that went over.

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