Next Time Just Say, "The World Isn't Fair. Get Over It!"

I've always prided myself on being more one of those "glass half full" types and I'm hoping that my children grow up to be the same way. Any time one of them sees something as unfair or not right or sees that someone else has it easier than they do, I always try to take the opportunity to get them to look at things from a different perspective. This, of course, means, that I feel the need to over-explain everything to them in the most complete detail to the point that even the 4 yr. old will say, "Mom, just stop talking."

This is when you know that you've lost your mind and taken it TOO far:

A few days ago, my 11-year old and I were in the car together and she picked up the baby's Strawberry Shortcake coloring book. "I gotta give it to Strawberry Shortcake. That girl always has the cutest outfits."

"Yes," I said, "they certainly are different than the ones she wore when I was younger." (If you don't know, long gone are the puffy flower dresses of days gone by. Strawberry Shortcake has WAY cool outfits now...complete with the occasional ripped jeans and belly-button baring half-shirt. Great role model for my toddler.)(No, I didn't buy the coloring book.)

"Yeah. I wish I was Strawberry Shortcake. She doesn't have to go to school."

So then I said, completely seriously, "Well, sweetie, I'm sure she goes to school. Everybody has to go to school."

"No, Mom, she doesn't. They never show her in school, just out having adventures with her friends."

(And here is EXACTLY the point where I became a complete idiot.) "Well, honey, I'm sure she goes to school. They wouldn't show her in school on the cartoons because, well, who would want to watch a cartoon about a kid at school? I'm sure that, in real life, she goes to school."

'Real life' I said. 'Real life'....in a conversation....about Strawberry Shortcake. O....m....g.