Stranger, Innocent Bystander and Overall

Our Tuesday began with a bit of a fright. There were reports filtering through that a child had been approached by a stranger in our neighbourhood. He had tried to drag her away but had been startled by the girl's friend coming out of her house. It really was the talk of the school yard; mums standing in small groups discussing what they knew, kids looking scared by the news their friends were telling them, teachers trying to assure people that everything was being done, e-mail being passed on from every possible source. It was a real wake up call. Tess and Meg regularly play outside without supervision and often will run in to grab something or tell me something... Anything could happen..

Today it seems the girl involved had made the whole story up! While I'm relieved that there is no prowler out there, I am left wondering how troubled a 7-year-old needs to be to need attention this badly...

I think all the talk about news reports got Tess and her friends chattering and trying out phrases they'd heard on the TV and radio. She was telling me, on the way back from swimming, that her and Juliana always call each other names even when they don't know what they mean.

"Like what?" I asked.

"Well, I call her 'innocent bystander' and she calls me 'critic'." I just thought it was hilarious that they were using these phrases as terms of affection...

Another very funny thing was the conversation I had with Jill today. Despite the very bad news she's had about her health lately I love that she's able to still laugh with me. She was describing how she'd been cleaning today (which I don't think she's allowed to do...!) and how she's been reminding herself of Mrs.Overall as she shakily carries her cup of tea across the room. The image has stuck in my head all day today.

I'll let you judge:

Jill?

Mrs.Overall?

What do you think?!!