Old Age From Young Eyes

Yesterday, as is our tradition, we sat together in the girls' room to read scriptures together. Delores and Lillian rocked in the corner, while Abigail snuggled up against me where she could see the pictures in the illustrated Doctrine and Covenants.

I read to her the account of Joseph Smith's first vision, which happened when he was only fourteen. This conversation follows:

Dad: Abigail, how old are you?

Abigail: Three!

Dad: Almost. You had a birthday, so now you are FOUR! (Of course, "four" was infused with all the excitement that a transition from three to four deserves.)

Dad: Joseph was FOURTEEN. That's four plus TEN MORE. (Ok, ok. Perhaps I was having too much fun demonstrating that I could speak such large numbers, but she looked so absolutely in awe at the illustration of this young man that was so obviously older than her, that I couldn't help myself.)

Abigail: Wow. He was OLD. So OLD he was almost going to DIE!

I suppose I shouldn't tell her that I've been fourteen twice. She might not believe me.

--

Today, Abigail joined Delores on a visit to a doctor. The Doc is an amiable fellow, perhaps a handful of years older than me, who we've seen off and on for years. My folks see him too, so he sometimes mixes up the relationships, asking Delores how my dad was doing when he meant to ask about me.

While they were talking in the office, he asks Abigail, who was wearing her new Rapunzel princess dress, if she was married. The conversation went something like this:

Doc: Abigail, are you married?

Abigail: NOOooooOOO. I'm too little to get married.

Doc: How old to you have to be to get married?

Abigail: I think six or seven... Yeah, six or seven.

Doc: Oh, ok. Do you drive.

Abigail: No, I'm too little to drive.

Doc: Oh. How old to you have to be to drive?

Abigail: Six or seven, too.

Doc: Ok.

And later...

Doc: Abigail, how old is your grandma?

Abigail: I have TWO grandmas! Grandma Dorton and Grandma Rimington. And my name is Abigail!

Doc: Wow! So how old is your grandma Rimington?

Abigail: She's very...

Abigail: very...

Abigail: very...

Abigail: Rimington-y!

And there you have it.