Nice Try, Kid

  I should have known better.
  I stood, smelling like Lysol, in my cleaning tee and shorts, with my hair glistening from lack-of-shower and my face rosy with the allergic response to seasonal pollen. In another few minutes, I would discover that I was wearing the T-shirt inside out.
   I should have been on my guard.
   But when Princess wandered through the living room and stopped, mouth agape, I couldn't help but trust her beautifully innocent expression. "Mommy!" she cried. "You are SO. BEAUTIFUL!"
   I melted. "Oh, sweetheart," I said, "Thank you. I needed that! That is so kind - "
 
   "Can I have a cookie?!"



    It was a nice try. Thank heaven it will be a few years before subtlety kicks in.