Damn you, Judy Blume
I have mentioned before, I think, Lila’s voracious reading appetite. She will read. And read. And read. I keep shuffling through the young adult shelves at the library, picking out the titles I remember loving, forcing them upon Lila. She, like myself at her age, loves that ole Judy Blume.
Did you know that Judy Blume kept writing books after some of us outgrew her target demographic? I know, crazy. But she did. One of the books is called Just As Long As We’re Together, and according to the blurb I read, it’s about how hard friendship can be for girls in the middle-school years — something I remember all too well. Lila wanted to read it, and I figured this was the kind of Judy Blume that I’d like her to be reading right now. As opposed to, say, Tiger Eyes or Forever…. (Yes, the ellipsis is part of the title, annoyingly.)
So anyway. Lila’s reading along happily. As is her way, when she comes across a word she’s not 100 percent sure about, she shouts out to me.
Lila: What’s c-o-m-f-o-r-t-e-r?
Me: Comforter?
Lila: Yeah. What is that?
Me: A comforter? It’s a big fluffy blanket. You have one on your bed!
Lila: Oh! Ha ha. I know. I didn’t know you called it that.
Me: Well, that’s what it’s called.
[Silence]
Lila: What’s a throw pillow?
Me: [suppressing urge to roll my eyes] A throw pillow?
Lila: Yeah. What’s that?
Me: It’s, um, it’s a decorative pillow. Like the kind you put on a couch, as opposed to the kind you sleep on. You know?
Lila: Oh. Okay.
[Silence]
Lila: Mommy?
Me: Yes?
Lila: What’s s-e-x-u-a-l-l-y?
