Genevieve: Mommy……waaaaaaah…….Mommy……..waaaaaaah!

Cassie: What?! What?! What’s the matter?

Genevieve: Waaaaaaah…….

Cassie: Are you hurt?

Genevieve: No. (cry – breath – hiccup)

Cassie: Are you sick? Do you have to go to the bathroom?

Genevieve: No. (another cry – breath – hiccup)

Cassie: Well, what’s the issue?

Genevieve: My ponytail is wiggly.

Cassie: Your ponytail is wiggly? (I look at the ponytail hanging off the back of her little head.) What does that mean? It’s coming loose?

Genevieve: Yes! The ponytail is wiggling itself out. (hiccup, hiccup) I hate it. Fix it now!

Cassie: You mean “Mommy, could you please fix my ponytail?”

Genevieve: Uh huh. (Her shoulders raise high to her ears in an exaggerated shrug, then slump down fast in a heavy sigh.)

Cassie: Genevieve, you scared me half to death with all the drama. A loose ponytail hardly warrants all this fuss.

Genevieve: My hair has dramas. I can’t help it.

Cassie: Well, you need to try.

Genevieve: YOU need to try to make the pony tight so it doesn’t wiggle.

(I try making a fresh pony tail, winding it as tight as possible with the yellow elastic hair band.)

Genevieve: Chloe uses water to make it tight and smoof (smooth).

(I lead Gigi to the bathroom sink, wet one of her small hairbrushes that we keep at the side of the sink, comb her hair repeatedly and bring all the strands together firmly in what I am certain is an extremely tight ponytail.)

Cassie: There you go. All better.

Genevieve (swinging her hair tail from side to side to determine whether the hair wiggles): I guess… it’s okay…until Chloe gets home and can fix it the right way.