Excuses. Excuses..

My Girl has learned the art of giving an excuse!

MG: What happened here. Whats all this? (Upon discovering a page of a book torn into many small pieces).
My Girl: Maybe I tear......... (Haha. Quite honest here)

Later.........

My Girl: Mummy, I not naughty. It was an accident only. (Trying out the art of giving an excuse)
MG: No, it was not an accident. You tore the book on purpose.
My Girl: Mummy, whats "accident"? (Haha. So sweetly innocent!)
MG: Well, an accident means when something happens accidentally, not on purpose or when you don't mean it. For example, if you accidentally drop the book and the page is torn because of that, it is an accident. (I paused, wondering if that explanation was too deep for her. Haiyah! How to explain leh?)
My Girl: Mummy, my hands got no space and the book heavy so it drop. That is an accident. (Looking at her hands which was holding some toy)

Wowee! Sometimes she surprises me. She really understood my explanation after all. That teaches me never to underestimate the little ones and their logical thinking. Later at night, I made up a story about a giraffe (her current craze) with her name and incorporated the word "accident" into the story with many examples. She even joined in the story (She could identify with it since the giraffe's family had our names. Haha.) by saying "Then the giraffe's mummy say don't jump on the chair or you might fall down." (And have an accident. Something I tell her a lot, I suppose. Yes, I think she has learned another new word today.)

I decided there and then to tell her made-up stories each time she asks me a meaning of a new word. That ought to help her learn faster and have fun at the same time.

Afterall, opportunities to learn (and teach) are around us all the time and learning should be fun.