The Fake Cry

Every day, it seems, Baby S is learning something new.

The other day, she was walking around holding a long, metal stick in her hand, which she picked up I don't know where. When her Mom grabbed it away from her, Baby S ran to the bed, buried her head on the pillows, and started "fake" crying. I'm sure you're all familiar with that fake baby cry, the one where no tears pour out from their eyes and where it's all loud, dramatic howling.

I just sat there, looking at her, and started laughing. After all, I've seen this scene four times before and I wondered, how do babies (or maybe I should start calling her a kid now?) learn how to fake cry? Is it in their genes? She couldn't have picked it up from any of my kids, her uncles, who are all taller than me and who have not fake-cried in years. She couldn't have picked it up from other babies because well, she doesn't know too many babies yet. And as far as I know, nobody has taught her how to fake cry.

Pretty soon, we were all laughing at the fake-crying baby because, well, ain't she such a drama queen? When nobody approached her, she raised her head a little, took a peek at us, and then buried her head on the pillow again. In time, her mom picked her up, and true enough, there were no tears. And as soon as her mom started talking to her, Baby S smiled. You little devil! :)