Love thy name

Gwenchik found out that her uncle will be having a baby this fall.
Gwen: Who do you want? A girl, right?
Roddy: Yes
Gwen: Have you picked out a name? I think Gwenchik is a GREAT name for your baby.

Stomach ache

George got a stomach ache.
Gwen: Dad, I know why your stomach hurts. You see, you ate donuts, but then didn't jump around. I do not have a stomach ache, even though I ate several of them, because with all the sweets you get really hyper and NEED to jump around, like I did with x-box. But you just sat about, that is why your stomach hurts.

The year of the Dragon

Gwenchik returning from her Sunday Russian Math class.
Gwen: One of the boys in class was happily telling everyone that tomorrow is the New Year, but no one knew what he was talking about! I just casually mentioned, that of course, it will be the celebration of the year of the Dragon, and he was so, so impressed!
Me: That is great.
Gwen: It is so nice that I have parents who know these things, then I look so cool.

Undeniable logic

We were all watching "Prince Caspian" together and Gwenchik understandably tended to cover her eyes and ears during the battle scenes.
Gwen: Tell me when Peter wins the fight with the bad guy.
Me: I am not sure he actually does, he is already wounded and the bad guy is not really playing fair...
Gwen: Of course he does, because he is listed in the next movie in the series.

Professional conversation

My friend Ksenia is staying with us for the holidays. Gwenchik wanted to know what exactly Ksenia does for a living. The way Ksenia explained internal audit consulting:
Ksenia: I visit different companies and I just give them advise....
Gwen: And people actually PAY for this?

Low present expectations

We got this really cool present for Gwenchik and I couldn't resist and asked if we could give it to her before Santa flies in.
Gwen: You didn't get me a math book as a present, did you?
Me: ?
Gwen: Well, OF COURSE, I would be happy with the book... but mom, what kind of parents give a math book to their child for a holiday! When I grow up and have kids, I will never give books that you need to learn from as presents!
......
What does it say about us as parents if our child automatically expects getting a math book as a present? Of course we didn't dissuade her from her erroneous notion, but it was nice that even though she was disappointed, she still tried to pretend that she was happy with the present, just to please us. She is really sweet and I can't wait to see her face once she actually gets her present. :)

Santa presents

Gwen: At school everyone knows that there is really no Santa and all the presents are bought by parents, which is kind of sad.
Me: Well, of course parents buy presents as it is a holiday, but Santa brings some too.
Gwen: Than why no one ever seen him? How can he really exist?
Me: He is a magical being, you know. So the entire point is to appear ONLY when everyone is asleep or not around.
Gwen: Ha, so no one really knows the truth, right? Do not tell anyone, but that means that I will get more than one present, right? You, Dad, Santa -- as least three.....

Motherland

As we are walking home from school Gwenchik proudly recounts her Spanish class geography lesson. They had a giant map on the wall with all the continents in Spanish.

Gwen: In school everyone knows that I am Russian. Actually  ---  the only Russian, I think.

Me: Yes

Gwen: So everyone was wondering what was that huge orange blob on the map -- and I was like, "oh, that is Russia -- pais mas grande del mundo!" Now EVERYONE is envious of me. 

Monopoly

Gwenchik begged me to play "Monopoly" with her for a long time as I am not a fan of the game. As she is losing and finally lands on one of my streets with a hotel on:

Gwen: I can't believe it. You wouldn't help your ONLY daughter!
Me: Well, you can mortgage your railroads or streets and I can help you calculate...
Gwen: YOUR ONLY daughter and you want to charge ME rent!
Me: It's a game, as you well know. Do you want me to give in?
Gwen: No. But when I grow up and have a daughter I will not WIN in "Monopoly" against her. I always, always win against Dad, as he doesn't know how to play. Why, why, why do you win in the game you do not even like?

Shorting money

At this point, from her birthday presents and several summer yard sales Gwenchik has about $200 in cash. About a week ago when her grandmother came to pick her up  and realized that she forgot her wallet Gwenchik generously offered the money that she has to grandma.

Gwenchik brings her new wallet that she got for her birthday and pulls out her riches -- $200. However all the dollar bills look weird -- much shorter than normal.
George: What is wrong with the dollar bills?
Gwen: Well, when I took the money from the envelope and transferred it into my new wallet the bills just wouldn't fit, so I cut the sides off. You see how nicely they fit now?

Reality-fiction

Lately Gwenchik likes writing -- in her diary, in numerous notebooks spread all over the house. As we driving to math class Gwenchik is reading aloud her new short story about a girl named Gwen and her dragon.
Gwen: ... girl named Gwen and her birthday was in September, when she turned 8 years old.
Me: So this is a story about you?
Gwen: Well sort of, but not really. It is like reality-fiction genre.

Yellow belt!

Today Gwenchik got her yellow belt! Quite unexpectedly, as the testing was set for middle of December -- so we are very proud of her. I suspect that for the next belt she would need to break a board.

Nice to be a girl

Walking around Central Sq in Cambridge ...
Gwen: It is nice to be a girl.
Me: Why do you think so?
Gwen: Girls can wear skirts or pants, their hair long or short and any jewelry and NOT  look weird.

Kids

Gwen: When I grow up I do not want to have kids.
Me: Why?
Gwen: It is painful for them to be born and than they do not really listen to their parents... so what is the point anyways?

Death

Today died Betta fish that Gwenchik got for her birthday. She cried, and cried, and cried... she felt responsible as she sort of neglected it, though, I suspect that the fish was, unfortunately sick, to begin with.

Life and fun

Gwenchik was working on a math problem and George explained that she really needs to solve it first before going to a Halloween city festival, as math is more important that festivals.
Gwen: But festivals are fun. What is the point of living if you do not have fun? Don't I only live once?

What good is an uncle?

When Gwenchik was really young, we were trying to discourage her sticking out her tongue at everyone everywhere and agreed that she could only do it to her uncle Roddy, but to him as much as she wanted to. He would visit once or twice a month and she would stick out her tongue, but for the rest of the time she would have to hold it in.

Today Gwenchik was reading comments left by her uncle.

Gwen: Next summer I should go to Russia to visit my grandparents and my uncle. Lately I feel like sticking out my tongue, but I can't. I can't stick it out at you, because you will get upset; I can't at school, because this is inappropriate. So my only recourse is my uncle and he is far away in Russia.

The judgment of Paris

I was cutting George's hair this morning.
Gwen: Why are you cutting Dad's hair?
Me: I like it when he wears it short, it looks neater.
Gwen: But why does he have to cut it? Only because you like it that way? I like him with longer hair. And now that winter is coming it is better to have longer hair, isn't it?
George: I want the hair cut that your Mom likes.
Gwen: That is not fair. You should listen to the person who spends more time with you and has to look at you more. And that person is me!  You drive me to school in the morning and when you get home from work you play board games with me -- all you do with Mom is sleep and how does that count?

Why kids lie...

Gwenchik saw a chapter in the book "Nurtureshock: the new thinking about children" a chapter heading "why kids lie" and was surprised that people write books about it.
Gwen: Isn't that obvious?
Me: Do you know why?
Gwen: Of, course. Firstly, they lie not to get caught doing something bad; secondly, kids lie to not upset their parents; and thirdly, kids lie because they think that they can get away with it. Why is the book so thick?

Always 30 years

Gwen: How come in your diary you write pages and pages of stuff and I only wrote four sentences?
Me: Well, I started writing when I was your age, around eight years old, and now I am thirty eight, so I had many more years to learn how to write in my diary.
Gwen: So you will ALWAYS be thirty years older than me? That is a bit sad....