privately, i'm very grateful for my kid starting to process parts of the adult world - it's less emotionally-charged for her to be thinking about these difficult subjects now than it will be when she's that age. i love literature for these reasons, too - it's a wonderful way to explore ethical and emotional issues safely.

but that said... DD's extreme maturity has wreaked some havoc in the nanny/kid relationship for sure. this pause in their friendship is a loss for both of them, but fortunately DD5 is pretty phlegmatic about it - as she says, "X has some things to work out right now and that's ok." i've consciously emphasized life's grey areas quite a bit with DD, so i think that has helped a lot?

Every Sunday it brooded and lay on the floor. Inconveniently close to the drawing-room door.