and NOT quarrel

A very hungry Ruby was waiting for her tuk-pa (Tibetan noodle soup)) singing:

When my noodles are ready it's like the sun will shine.
Come dancing into my mouth!!
And then break in my mouth and go poo-pooing a little later
All of the tiiiiiiiiiiiiime!!!! Noooooooodles!!! I'm ready!!! Come dancing into my moooouuuuuth!!!
RIGHT NOW!!!!!

Oh! Guess what. Ruby is now in possession of a...a...this is not very easy for me to say...a...a Barbie Doll. Here's the story.


Ruby and my mom were taking a walk and ran into the father of a playmate that we have not seen in months. She announced in a most uncensored way that she was not at all interested in seeing her friend.

After parting ways, Ruby informed my mom that this was because "she has Barbies and I don't. I want Barbies but my mama doesn't like them because she thinks they are too skinny.

A few thoughtful minutes later, Ruby said, "Grandma, can we go buy a Barbie doll and...if we TELL mama there won't be a SURPRISE...so should we SURPRISE mama...?? Isn't THAT a good idea??"

Well, good ol' mom let Ruby loose in the playground and when she was not within earshot, called me in a panic, "Lara!! What do I do?!!! She wants a...a...she wants a...Barbie!!!"

So of course I said that she should have a Barbie if that is what she really wants--that we don't have to like the same things--that I never forbade her to acquire an anorexic-yet-voluptuously-perky-breasted piece of plastic made-in-China junk, that I just have a difference of opinion and THAT'S OK.

So within five minutes, Ruby and mom were on their gleeful way to the toy store and within ten minutes Ruby was ripping open her new Barbie princess ballerina (who she dutifully named Tabasco.) And within 11 minutes, Ruby was on the phone with me, delightedly reporting:
Mama!! I have a BARBIE and she has VERY HUGE BREASTS!! And don't worry, Mama. She is really a nice lady. She is so skinny because she shares her food with everybody.

The take-home message here is that you and your child can have very different interests and NOT quarrel about a single thing. Ruby's uniqueness does nothing but make life more interesting.