I was standing in line at the post office earlier this week, and in walked a man with a wee little girl I am going to assume was his daughter. Cute little thing. Young. If I had to guess, I’d say maybe 4. Maybe. They took their place in line right behind me. About a minute later, I hear a conversation that went something like this…

Dad: *annoyed* Your nose is all green. What did you do at school today?!

Girl: *defensive* I didn’t do nothing!

Dad: Well, your nose and fingers are green. You did something.

Girl: *After long pause… shrieks* I was smelling the marker!

Dad: *freaked*  Ooh. No. Don’t do that. You really shouldn’t do that! Smelling markers is bad! It can… it can make you sick! Really sick! Your head will… get all dizzy… and you could pass out! And get really sick! And you could… you could… you could even die!! Don’t do that!

Girl: *defensive* But all my friends were doing it!!

Dad: Still! You shouldn’t do that! It can make you really, really sick!

Girl: *blink, blink*

Dad: You’d have to go to the doctor. And you know how you’re really smart right now?

Girl: U-huh…

Dad: Well, you wouldn’t be smart anymore. You… you wouldn’t be able to walk. Or talk. Or read.

Me: *trying to not bust out laughing*

Dad: You’d be like a baby!! And you could DIE!!!

Girl: *apprehensive* Okay… I won’t do it anymore….

Dad: I mean it!! You could die!!

Girl: OKAY!! I won’t do it!!

Me: *done with business, practically run to car to relay conversation to mom who is waiting*

Me & mom: *laugh butts off*

I wish I could have been a fly on the wall at her school the next day.

Little Johnny: *sniffing purple marker* Commmee oonnnnnn, Girl!!! Mmm, so yummy. You know you wanna smell it! Purple! YUM!

Girl: NOOOOO!!!! Dad says you’re gonna turn into a baby and DIEEEEE!!!!

Random kids, innocently playing in corner, sniffing yellow marker: *sniff* *bawl* don’t… wanna… die… waaaaah!!!

Boy, they sure do start young these days. Peer pressure is harsh.

4 Responses to “Just Say No”