They might be giants

L's classroom at daycare has soft toys hanging from the ceiling tiles: a carrot, a parrot, a ladybug, a bunny, some spiral windsocks, a few butterflies. We play a game where I say "one, two, three, CARROT!" and lift L high over my head so she can see the toy. She loves this game. It was through this game that she earned her nickname Kicky because of how she expresses her excitement through her airborne legs.

When we get to daycare we bypass E's room for L's because E likes to help. I ask her to unpack L's food into the fridge and when she's done she yells Mama, I packed her out! Sometimes she then stage-directs the ceiling toy circuit. Go to the orange butterfly now, Mama! L, you like butterflies?

I usually try to avoid the ladybug because it's one of the highest up towards the ceiling, and I have trouble sending L high enough to be eye level with it. E always wants us to play ladybug, though, because we call L by the appellation Lady L Ladybug just like we call E by PurpleBrownDoggieDinosaurROAR, or Crazy Monkey for short. Sometimes I've been known to mutter as I struggle to ladybug heights. "Oh, L, you got a short mommy!"

I am on the short side of average, and M is well on the tall side of average. But what does that look like to a creature not even three feet tall? This evening we were talking about relativism. Daddy is bigger than Mommy. E is bigger than L. E took my face in her hand. Mama, you're little. I said, "I'm bigger than you." She said, but you're a little mommy. And I realized she was citing our ceiling toy game. That's why Daddy's bigger than you, because you're a little mommy. I smiled at her. M had just walked by and as I watched him go I said to E, "you have a cute Daddy, huh?" She answered, I don't know! Because he's so tall that I can't see his face!