First she loses a tooth, now this.

If you live in a city, you probably pick up the free weekly every once in a while. I do. I don't consider myself a prude. But today when I found Dutch sitting on the floor, twisted in an awkward pretzel position, carefully studying the American Apparel ad on the back of the free weekly and attempting to replicate the model's pose, I felt a little queasy. I guess I do object, after all, to having my almost-five-year-old kid learning about womanhood from a sleazy retailer. Dutch's interest seemed to be entirely engaged by the model's contortionist abilities - "How does she get her legs to go that way?!" she marveled - but still. Ick.

Today was orientation day at the daycare, so Dutch got to see many of her classmates. She's one of the oldest and tallest kids in the class, and speaks more clearly than many of her peers, so she looks much older than the others. She isn't, of course, but she looks that way. And she wants to be older than she is; she's already pulling hard toward adolescence. I can't save her from the sophisticated world of the modern American child. I guess we kind of just have to shove her out to sea and wave at her from the shore, and hope she has the right equipment.