hurry up and grow up

About a month ago, I'm walking Annabelle to the small park that's in our neighborhood. It's late afternoon on a beautiful summer day, and I wanted Belly to have a chance to run a bit. This park is good for that because it's mostly fenced in, and the girl has learned where she can and can't go.

As I'm walking her, two kids and their dad were on bikes on the sidewalk behind me. The girl was maybe 6, the boy 4. They're on bikes with training wheels, so they're not going very fast, but eventually they pass me. "I like your dog," the little girl says as she passes. "Thanks," I say.

When Belly and I get to the park, the kids are parking their bikes on the bike rack. As Belly and I pass them, the little girl says, "Can I pet him?"

Me: Well, she's not really good with little kids, so you'd better not. I don't want her to scare you.

The Dad, translating for his daughter: She's just not used to kids, honey.

Belly and I keep walking, and when we're about 20 feet away, the little girl yells after me, "When will she be used to kids?"