Two little sisters, Klara’s friends, came by to play today. As American children tend to be, they are extremely polite, well-behaved and trouble-free.

The hard part wasn’t minding the kids but exchanging a dozen text messages with their mother who kept expressing extreme gratitude for my offer to have the kids over. I’m not very polite by nature, so I soon ran out of steam in this competition of mutual reassurances. No, you are not in the least imposing. Yes, I’m completely sure. No, I don’t mind in the least. Yes, I’ll tell you the moment it gets too overwhelming. No, I don’t think you are rude or abusing my kindness. Yes, I’m 100% certain. No, it’s not at all exhausting.

But the children are an absolute joy. Even the text message grilling was almost bearable.