When You're Hot You're Hot

The girls had been playing upstairs so pleasantly and for such a long time that we'd let them stay up way past their bedtime. The activity that had captured them this evening was a coloring book of sorts with stencils with which they were tracing clothes on the pre-printed silhouettes of bodies.

Every 10 minutes or so one of the girls would come down the stairs, page in hand and ask how we liked the outfit she'd created, proud of her creativity and color choice. Between fashion pages, my Man and Cole and I enjoyed watching a football game and reading on the couch.

It was one of those evenings that happens what seems like once a year. Everybody was doing exactly what they wanted to be doing while getting along with one another and it had lasted for more than 7 minutes. Perfect.

Until...

{You knew this was coming didn't ya?}

"Mom, Dad!! Look at my girl, she looks HOT! " said the FIVE-year-old.

These moments, they do happen. Why was my sweet little Molly using the word HOT in such context? This is not how we communicate an appreciation of beauty in our home. Where did Molly learn to use the phrase. What have I exposed her to? Can't she just stay little for a bit longer?

What kind of a mother am I? What kind of a family are we?

With deep curiosity and a heathy measure of nervousness I asked, "Molly, what do you mean by HOT?"

"I mean," she said with conviction, "she looks like she's just been burnt !"

She held her fashion page out for me to inspect and indeed, as I studied, I found myself in complete agreement. The poor girl did look burnt as she'd been colored about the face in various hues of red and orange and pink.

{Sound of muffled snickering from the other end of the couch...}

"Crisis" averted...for now.