My Child the Mood Police

Marble is only two, but so far doesn't display the typical self centeredness that most toddlers have.  She's a lot more aware of other people's feelings than any of my other children were at this age.  In fact, she is SO aware that she gets seriously distressed when people are not happy.  She's almost Orwellian in her desire that everyone "BE HAPPY! BE HAPPY RIGHT NOW!"  Unfortunately for her she lives in a house with three moody teenagers, an Italian mother, an Irish father, and a baby.  There are a variety of moods happening here folks.  And sometimes they clash. 

She is particularly sensitive to her baby sister's happiness or lack thereof.  When the baby cries, Marble is immediately in full alert mode and in case nobody can hear she starts yelling: "OH NO OH NO!!!  BABY CRY!  BABY CRY!! OH NO OH NO!!" and then she races over to the baby and does her best to comfort her.  She says in the most loving tone you can imagine: "it ok baby Lark!  Don't be sad!  Mommy coming!"  and she goes to see WHY I'm taking so long:  "MOMMY!  BABY CRY!  COME NOW NOW NOW!  RIGHT NOW! OH NO OH NO!"  And then back to Lark to reassure her that help is on the way: "I told mommy Lark!  You no cry!  Mommy coming!"  But there is a point to where the baby's sadness is overwhelming her and she starts to get upset herself.  So then she yells at Lark: "BE HAPPY BABY!  STOP CRYING!  BE HAPPY RIGHT NOW!  HAPPY! HAPPY! HAPPY!  NOW!"  It's important to note that she is literally right in the baby's face screaming this at her.  And she can't understand why Lark is not being "HAPPY HAPPY RIGHT NOW!"

There is a Nick Jr. show called Ni Hao Kai-lan.  It involves a little Chinese girl and her gang of emotionally unstable animal friends.  The whole point of the show is to help kids identify their feelings.  And to that end the characters all spend a portion of each episode displaying every color of the emotional rainbow.  Marble loves this show.  However, because she's so in tune with emotions already, the show is actually really stressful for her.  She is literally on the edge of her seat the entire time.  Absolutely riveted to see if Rintoo will recognize that he's being unkind.  If Kai-lan will be able to help Hoho stop crying. And on and on until everyone is once again HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY RIGHT NOW!

The other thing Ni Hao, Kai-lan teaches kids are Chinese words.  A few days ago I heard Lark starting to cry and Marble starting to yell.  After a minute went by she was still yelling, but I couldn't understand her until she came running over to me and saying "MOMMY MOMMY AI YA!  LARK KUQI!  LARK BE XIA XIN! RIGHT NOW! AI YA! AI YA!  MOMMY MEI MEI LARK KUQI!" 

At first I thought maybe Marble was just so upset she couldn't *enunciate properly, and I was totally confused as to why she was screaming for cookies. Her speech is actually extremely clear and even most people outside our family can understand her just fine.  But then I realized that no... apparently Marble wasn't getting her point across in English so she switched to Chinese.  I had to go on the Ni Hao Kai-lan page to realize what she was saying.  Translation: "Mommy, mommy oh no! Lark cry!  Lark be happy right now!  Oh no Oh no!  Mommy little sister Lark cry!" 

So now my sensitive little girl is able to completely freak out in both English and Mandarin. 


Yao Wo Nick Jr.