Rushing Through Innocence

Sheila pounded the flickering, multi-colored touch platform. At first she tried following the colors, but DaDa came around to coach her.

"Say it, Sheila," DaDa requested. He repeated the words uttered from the low-level amps in the machine. "The dog tastes like the cow."

At ten months old, Sheila was talking with DaDa and the machine.

MaMa heard the verbal choir. She focussed an unnerving glance towards DaDa, which he immediately noticed. He returned MaMa's tensious gaze with a battle-ready one of his own. He told Sheila to keep up with the machine, then, kissed the back of her head, smelling that baby daughter smell, with a hint of lilac from the baby shampoo MaMa chose.

He met MaMa at the counter.

"What?" he asked with an empty tone.

MaMa thought she was ready for this, but the daring stare was just the foot in the door, but now that she had DaDa's attention it was time to follow through. She gathered her courage.

"This needs to stop," she stated.

"What?"

"This," harkening to Sheila and the speaking toy. "You - You making a science experiment out of your daughter." MaMa's voice was full of tone - tone in the key of urgent.

DaDa was stunned, but kept calm. "What are you talking about? Let me in on what level of zany I'm supposed to be flourishing in, because you're a few notches above mine."

"Why can't you just let her be a child?" Mama retaliated. "Let her discover things normally, the way children are supposed to? Why are you rushing her into things."

DaDa was unflinchable, though he required a deep breath before continuing. "I'm at a loss," he said. "All I am doing is playing with our daughter. Doing the same things that my family did with me when I was her age. I am unfamiliar with these 'science experiments' you are alluding to. I'm just a father playing with his daughter.

"Please - - where is this coming from?"