Emma m's and the whining incident: lost in translation

The setting: Emma Kate in the cart with me merrily pushing her sweet self as we make a morning grocery run.

We selected lovely produce for homemade black bean soup and the finishing ingredients for a mushroom and asparagus cream sauce for pasta (which we all ate for dinner tonight and yum was it good - that from the family that avoids pasta).  We handpicked our organic yogurt and sought out wholesome cheeses and freshly made bread.  And...scccccrreech!  The candy aisle.

I whizzed on by, but chattering little Emmacakes loudly proclaimed in a very urgent voice, "Mommy!  Emma m's.  Emma m's."

Okay, the cuteness.  They have been dubbed her personal candy, and the name is quite fitting.  They are Emma m's.

However, we don't need to eat them everyday.  Really.  We don't!

Try explaining that to the girl that thinks that any item we pass that she wants should rightfully be hers!  It is hard to explain the concept of a financial transaction when so many delectable items are simply sitting out for the taking.

Three aisles later, and the tears were still looming large in her big eyes, threatening to spill down those yummy cheeks.  The low moan of disapproval was quietly coming from her, directed straight at me.

Very matter of factly I looked at her, and mom of the century that I am, stated calmly, "Emma Kate.  No whining, honey.  No whining".

I knew she might not understand what I was saying but it felt fine to say it and hope that contextually it made sense.

Her eyes became huge.  She gasped.  She repeated, "No whining?"

I'm a genius, I thought to myself.  She's a genuis!

I nodded with a huge happy smile, "Yes, Emma!  No whining.  Good girl!"

She looked at me in shock and said, "No whining?  No whining, Momma?"

I, being the genius that I am, realized that something was not quite right here.  And slowly started to say "No whining" only to realize Emma Kate thought I was saying no wo ai ni.  As in, I don't love you.

Because wo ai ni means I love you.

merciful heavens!

I quickly repaired my mistake with "Oh, Emma, Momma wo ai ni" over and over again.  I pantomimed what "whining" looked like, and then worked really hard to say even when Emma "whined" Momma still "wo ai ni'ed".

Whew.  The other shoppers must have gotten quite an ear and eye full.  Cultural clash in the ethnic aisle. Seriously.  We were selecting salsa.  Because, you know, milk isn't really ethnic.  Just ask anyone in Asia.  They drink tons of it.  And the pickled herring we buy with frequency from the area right near the pickles and lunch meats, those aren't ethnic either.  To Minnesotans, at least.  Anyway, I digress...

Okay, the.rest.of.the.day, every single time I said, "Emma.  Momma wo ai ni", she would shake her head and say, "no Momma.  No wo ai ni".

The good news is that by the end of the day, she knew the next part of the act involved a tickle and giggle fest together and that I would still insist on having the last word.  She was laughing about it by basketball tonight.

I was too.  Even if deep down on the inside a little part of me cringed and hurt.

No more whining talk at our house!  I'll stick to the mime act from here on in.

:)