"Kinda Cute"

It's official. My little girl has become...well...a girl.

It seems like just yesterday The Lovely Wife and I were amazed to hear Anna say "Mommy" and "Daddy." Of course, we were tickled pink when she started reading books at the age of 4. But now, at 5, Anna has moved into a whole new realm of vernacular: cool kid phrases.

I blame it on the KISD pre-school, after all, that's where she currently reigns as Queen Bee.

I've been told that all children go through this phase at some point. Indeed, most kids are drawn to the latest fads. Apparently, in Ms. Sandy's class, the word of the day is "cute."

As in, everything is "cute."

It started slow with such phrases as "Brooke is cute," "Gus is so cute," and, one of my favorite's (because I always acknowledge a good kiss-up), "Mommy, your shirt is so cute."

Over time, "cute" has found its way into all aspects of our conversation.

"Spaghetti, oh cute!"
"Daddy, that show is so cute!"

And, of course, another favorite:
"I don't want to go to bed...that's so not cute!"

However, when we pulled through Dairy Queen the other day, the word of the day took on a whole new meaning...and about gave dear ol' daddy a heart attack.

"Daddy, that boy is kinda cute."

Trust me, I can see all of you rolling your eyes and snickering aloud at your computer screens right now, but Daddy Gresham about dropped his mint chocolate Blizzard over that statement.

Sure, I know this is just the tip of the iceberg, and I've got years of cool-kid words and little girl observations ahead of me. I'll even admit that when telling the story now it puts a smile on my face.

And, while I'm in no way ready to ease off my "You Can't Date Until You Graduate College" rule, I know someday I'll look back on this and think it's—well—for lack of a better word..."kinda cute."