Hoping Her Parents Stay Out All Night

Yesterday afternoon we went to the Franz Waxman Cabaret at MOMA, in honor of the composer's 100th birthday (one of my closest friends is Franz's grandson). We explained to Fiona before her nap that when she woke up her friend Miriam would be there to babysit, but that we would be back in time for bedtime. Fiona nodded, so unperturbed that we wondered if she'd heard us at all.

As we expected, Fiona slept through Miriam's arrival and our departure. When we returned after the show, we found Fiona happily drawing at the table with Miriam. But when she looked up to see us, she suddenly looked crestfallen.

"Go away, Daddy," she said. "I don't want to go to bed yet."

Apparently she understood "back in time for bedtime" to mean "as soon as we get home we'll put you straight to bed."

Yet another look into the mind of a toddler.