Nora runs over to hug Miss L. She gives her a big hug that gets returned very willingly. I’m a teacher – so I know you’re not supposed to have favorites, but when I see that exchange, I think that Miss L has broken that teacher rule. And that’s ok with me. Ken and I are walking out of the room, saying and waving goodbye to Nora, who smiles sheepishly and sucks her thumb. “You all need to get home and work on having another baby!” Miss L proclaims. I blush and giggle, embarassed in front of the two other parents in the room. “You’ll be the first to know,” I lie to her. And I walk out the door and ask Ken if he heard what she said, which of course he did.
This really started last week when Miss L relayed an odd story of her daughter, who also works at the daycare, playing a trick on her that Nora was going to have a little sibling. Miss L said she got so excited at the news and then was crushed when her daughter told her it was a joke. I laughed politely and said I wasn’t sure that was really a very nice joke. Miss L said she thought we really should consider adding to our family since Nora is so sweet: “How could you not want another when you have one like this?”I took it as an awkward compliment and forgot about it mostly.
Until she did it again today. It’s nice she loves Nora. I too would like to give her a sibling in the not too distant future, but I find these conversations odd – and a bit awkward.
Toddler Summer 
It is awkward…a little invasive perhaps, but what a compliment! It is a compliment to Nora, the sweetest toddler a family could dream up. It is also a very high compliment to the parents. Ms. L. doesn’t just think Nora is great, she thinks the parents are doing a really good job of 1) building a loving and strong marriage to bring more children into and 2) loving and strong enough in their parenting to handle more. Finally, she must think it’s a pretty good bet that this comination will produce another great toddler. I think so too of course.
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