Panda-monium

(My niece is two, and shy, but can be loud if she really wants to. She is hiding behind her grandma — my mom — and refusing to directly talk to me. I am about to go on a trip to China, and I ask her what she wants. She whispers to Grandma.)

Grandma: “She wants a stuffed panda.”

Me: “Okay, a stuffed giant panda.”

Niece: *whispering*

Grandma: “No, it’s a small one.”

Niece: *more whispering*

Grandma: “No, honey, like the photos we just showed you; pandas are black and white, not pink.”

Niece: *suddenly loud* “I want a pink baby panda! They are so cute!”

Me: “Okay, a pink panda.”

Grandma: “I need to teach you both colors.”

(When I got back, I sent my niece a panda with pink dress and bow, and for my mom, I brought back a magazine titled “Giant Panda” with an article about the baby panda, all pink without any fur. Sorry, Grandma, but the two-year-old was technically right.)