Ah, To Be A Child

I was in Target the other day, and I watched as a little girl (no more than four years old) and her slightly older sister (five... maybe six) teased each other as they followed their dad down a main aisle. The younger one kept saying, "Push me. Now, push me harder." Of course, the older sister was happy to oblige, as any true older sibling is. At this, the younger one would promptly reply, "That didn't hurt!" and continue asking to be pushed. This cycle continued until the older sister, who was understandably annoyed by now, shoved her sister hard enough to snap her neck back and jerk her forward a good four feet. The dad, needless to say, was not amused. I couldn't stop laughing. The younger sister was just asking for this to happen, whether she knew it or not. I miss the days when you could get under someone's skin by saying "You can't come to my birthday party" or "You're not my friend anymore." Nowadays, I hear that, and I laugh at the nostalgia. Fifteen years ago, that was a serious, SERIOUS thing to say to somebody. Equivalent to the modern, "I'm going to kill your family and wear your dog's head as a hat." It's ok. I'm not a sicko. I've only used that three or four times. Promise.