Nicole has great compassion for people (that part came straight from her daddy). She's constantly aware of people's feelings, and how to protect them. Even if someone is mean to her (Grant excluded), she doesn't say anything to them for fear of hurting them. We're going to have to work on this, though, because I don't want any bullies at school taking advantage of her just because she's too sweet to stick up for herself (that part was supposed to come from me, so I suppose we'll have to work on nurturing that in, since nature failed us).
Anyway, Clint mentioned to Nicole that she needed to be grateful for (read: eat) all of her food -- the "yucky" stuff, too -- since there are kids who don't have any food at all, and who have to eat dirt. (True story -- a community in Africa was so hungry that they started making dirt cakes [dirt+water baked] and got some scary disease from eating dirt. I can't remember what it did to their bodies, but listen, if you ever run out of food, eat bugs, not dirt. That's all I have to say about that.)
A few days after this scare tactic was implemented, Nicole sat at the counter eating lunch and asked ...
Nicole: "Mom, where do those people live who don't have any food?
Mom: "Everywhere, sweetheart. Africa, Russia, South America ... all over the world."
Nicole: "Well, we better not go visit any of those places then."
Mom: (wondering why Nicole has a prejudice against starving people) "Why not?"
Nicole: "Because if we went there, then we wouldn't have any food either."
Mom: (oh, I get it) "Well, we'd take money with us, and then we'd buy food with our money. Those people don't have any food because they don't have enough money to buy it."
Nicole: (new concept -- some people don't have enough money for food) "Well, then we should visit those places and take lots of extra money with us and buy those people some food."
Mom: (Where'd this little girl come from?)
Maybe she'll work for the Peace Corps one day. She's full of goodness, that kid. (That part is from her daddy, too.)
