“Look, here’s Daddy!” I tell Klara. 

“Papa!” she says. 

“No, he’s Daddy,” I explain. 

“Papa! Papa! Papa!” she chants. 

I don’t know where she could have possibly gotten this but she calls N “papa” or “papeh” and completely disregards my exhortations to say “Daddy.” 

I swear to God, one of these days I’ll find her reading a volume of Pushkin. 

6 responses to “A Secret Russian ”

  1. cliff arroyo Avatar

    “I don’t know where she could have possibly gotten this ”

    What does N call himself when speaking to her? That would be the most likely scenario.

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    1. Clarissa Avatar

      No, he says “I.” I do say “papa” when I speak to N in Russian but I can’t imagine she figured out what that is in reference to.

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      1. Socal dendrite Avatar
        Socal dendrite

        Oh, I absolutely bet that is it – kids Klara’s age are very smart when it comes to language and important “objects” like the parents.

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        1. Clarissa Avatar

          I do say things like “Look how she loves her papa!” It’s a bit creepy to think that she could have figured it out. 😆

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          1. cliff arroyo Avatar

            ““Look how she loves her papa!” It’s a bit creepy to think that she could have figured it out. ”

            Babies. Nature’s perfect spies.

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            1. Clarissa Avatar

              My sister once flipped out when she heard her little daughter answer what Mommy and Daddy did: “Mommy puts on high heels, goes outside and people give her money. Daddy stays home and tells people on the phone why he can’t come.”

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A conservative literary critic and college professor