Ladybug Logic

The Ladybug has recently begun entering into the world of logic. However, her logic doesn't yet actually fit into either the world of reality or of logic at all. I call it Ladybug Logic, and basically, she tries to explain things out the way the Daddy and I do, but makes up her own stuff to put into the explanations. It's pretty funny. And confusing. And sometimes frustrating. Especially when she's determined that something has to be a certain way just because she said that it was that way (sounds like... *Ahem* I hate to admit it... But it's true... Me.)

On to less condemning things... Like an example of Ladybug Logic at its finest.

Let me preface with this - we're at my parents-in-laws lovely home in not-quite-so-lovely Dead City, Florida (it's close to Armpit, I think), and they have a POOL. I haven't been this waterlogged in years. It's amazing. I throw the kids in there and I don't hear anything but happy squealing for hours. And then they pass out. I want a pool. Badly.

Anyway.

Yesterday KayKay grabbed the Ladybug's swimsuit and tossed it to her because I'd asked her (Ladybug) to bring me the suit so I could help her into it and then we would get her water wings on her. As she was walking out onto the pool deck, KayKay told the Ladybug to get hurry and get her suit on at the same time that I was telling her that we were going to get her water wings on in a minute. Ladybug missed the "in a minute" part, though, and she thought the fact that we said two different things to her at the same time was hilariously funny... And then (because, of course, I couldn't possibly have heard it all with my big Mommy ears) began explaining the whole thing to me using Ladybug Logic:

"KayKay said to put my fwim suit on, but you said water wings, Mommy, because the fwim suit and the water wings are not the same, but the water wings and the fwim suit are the same. They are the same because, because... Because KayKay said the fwim suit and Mommy said the water wings, because they are the same, and so they are not the same. Because the KayKay told me to put on the fwim suit and because you told me the water wings and the water wings and the fwim suit are not different. Mommy, are the fwim suit and the water wings the same?"

Yipe. Try following that one. And she's started doing this ALL the time. With everything.

She asks about everything imaginable if they are "the same," usually with a bunch of because's and a number of ummmmm's and some other stuff thrown in there for confusion's sake. She also explains everything using Ladybug Logic, usually with its opposite as "the same".

And she gets terribly frustrated if her meaning isn't immediately clear.

"I'm a cat, because... Because... Sister's a dog." ... While they're both playing puppy.

"Yes and no are the same... Because... Because... Because they are not the same!" ... Said triumphantly with emphasis on not the same.

An excerpt from a recent conversation:

"Mommy, are red and blue the same?"

"No, sweetie. Look at them. This is red, and this is blue (showing her something of each color). Do they look the same to you?"

"No. But they are the same because... Because they are not EXACTLY the same."

-OR-

Same conversation with a slightly different ending (we've had a number of conversations about yes and no and red and blue):

"This is red, and this is blue (showing her something of each color). Do they look the same to you?"

"Yes!" ... Said just to be ornery. Because we've just talked about it for ten minutes in the car and she can tell I'm getting irritated.

It's so funny and cute and chaotic and frustrating at the same time. Poor KayKay. She's very analytical and logical and her sister's random version of logic drives her batty. I try to curb it, but they've had a fair number of arguments already. But all I can do is sit back and listen and laugh.