Shananigans

On the way home in the rickshaw yesterday, I asked Maya what she had done at school. 'Fackin' she replied with a face as straight as her hair is curly. Although she had no intention of saying the word that is so closely resembled, I must confess it came as a bit of a surprise to hear this sound coming from her lips. Sorry, I said, What was that? And again, she replied enthusiastically, Fackin! Right, I have no idea what fackin involves at Kidzone pre-school, but whatever it is, I can only hope that it soon starts sounding more like what it actually is!

I knew very well what Maya had, in actual fact, spent doing at school that morning and that was rallying the teachers around her cause of hypochondria. When I went to pick her up, one of the teachers said in an incredibly concerned voice, Oh dear, what happened to poor Maya? I looked at her quizically and she reminded me about her knee. Her knee? I asked. Yes, yes, her poor knee, the teacher replied sympathetically. And then I remembered. First thing that morning, Maya had got hold of the plasters and said in her best woe-is-me voice I'm not feeling very well (a-la-Charlie-and-Lola - still!) and then promptly found the biggest plaster she could find and stuck it over her knee. Evidently Maya enjoyed the concern so much that she'd decided to keep the plaster on and lap up all the sympathy. Does anyone else have a child that is a complete and utter hypochondriac?? The girl is obsessed with being ill! Is this normal? Suggestions??!