Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Flattery

I can't tell you how much that saying bugged me when I was little.  My mom would spout off this gem every time my little sister did something to imitate me, which was like, everyday.  Actually, it probably wasn't all that often, but it sure felt like it.  I think what bugged me most about that saying is that it basically said, "Deal with it.  Your sister is going to wear the same clothing as you or say what you say.  And you had better be grateful because she likes you, ok?"  What I was looking for was some age-old way of getting her to stop.  Anyway, yesterday a couple of things happened that reminded me of that saying.


Number 1:

My kids were playing with one of those stretchy, sticky toys. You know, the little plastic string with a small loop in one end and a hand on the other end that sticks to everything. Only this one had jellyfish tentacle things instead of a hand. It came out of a 25¢ dispenser at a doctor's office. Anyway....

Katherine would hand the jellyfish end to Logan and pull back on the toy until she was several feet away. Logan would let go of his end which would recoil and smack Katherine in the leg. They did this over and over and over, getting gigglier each time, until the toy broke. It was mid-stretch and the string snapped back and whacked Logan in the face, which he did not appreciate. Understandably he started to cry. Then Katherine started to cry because her beloved toy was broken.

I was hugging both of them, trying to console them and Logan started calming down. He sniffed a few times and then noticed that Katherine was still crying, so he started up again. Then Katherine started calming down and noticed that Logan was crying again and she started up again. This went back and forth for a bit before I just started laughing. Soon, all three of us were cackling.



Number 2:

I was in the kitchen, and Katherine came in with her baby doll wrapped in a dish towel.  I asked her what she was doing and she said she was rocking her baby to sleep and that I needed to be quiet (she whispered, "be quiet").  So, I quietly asked what her baby's name was.  She told me it was Katherine.  I said that it was funny that she and her baby had the same name.  She said, "Oh no, Mom.  I'm not Katherine.  I'm Kirsten the Mommy."   D'aaawwwwww!!!!  I don't mind being imitated so much anymore.