It’s been a while since I talked about my daughter here. Her name is Pristine and she’ll be turning 11 before the year ends. Where did all the time go? Yes, I ask that question once in a while. She was only three years old when we moved to Dubai almost 8 years ago and now, she’s almost as tall as I am and on her way to becoming a teenager.

That said, I think she is undergoing some internal transformation. She still snuggles up to me and her dad randomly, in the middle of the night, “I had a nightmare, can I sleep here?” nights still continue once in a while but lately, I am surprised by her bursts of “comments” around a specific “topic”.

I was changing my shirt after doing my workout in the room where my husband was in bed, reading a book. Pristine was also there. I don’t know about you but I don’t care about changing my clothes in the presence of the man in the house.

(Is that weird?)

Pristine: “Mama! Stop changing your clothes in front of papa! He’s a boy, you know?”

My husband and I looked at each other and almost laughed out so loud. Pristine did not understand why. It may take a few more years for her to understand why it is so funny!  

Then also while I was cleaning up my closet, Pristine picked up a couple of lacy underwear of mine (which I rarely use because I am more comfy with cotton grandma panties, thankyouverymuch). While the lacy undies hung from her little fingers and she looks at it like it’s an item straight out of Area 51,

Pristine: “What are THESE? Why did you buy THESE?”

Me: “Oh, those. They’re beautiful, don’t you think?”

Pristine: “No. They look like they can’t cover all of your…bits and butt. They’re pointless underwears!”

…and a follow up question.

Pristine: “So, what is the real reason you bought these?”

*silent panic attack*

Me: “Umm, they really dry fast, you know? (compared to my grandma panties)”

She relaxed her face and said, “Oh, right then, they’re handy sometimes but only wear them when it’s raining and the cotton undies don’t dry.”

Where do you think she got these ideas of being so conservative? Like being so conscious of the opposite sex (she says, eww and looks away when my husband and I kiss – like kiss goodbye at the front door as he leaves for work). Is she an old soul (gosh, even the hair style she did a few days ago is straight from 1970’s Good Housekeeping magazine) or just starting to become a teenager?

* Just a little background, she is fascinated with the Victorian era and reads books about that time in history. *