The Serious Question

In the middle of the night last night, I remembered one more Sydney gem. It's a bit of a puzzle. After a couple of days here, Sydney turned to my mom one day and said "MeMe, I need to talk to you." Mom said "Okay". Sydney motioned with her finger for mom to follow her, and she said "This is Important. I need to talk to you in the other room." The two of them walked into the other room, and you couldn't hear what Sydney was saying. But you could hear what my mom was saying, "No." Sydney of course, asked why not, and mom explained her answer.

When Mom came back in the room, we all looked at her, puzzled. She said Sydney asked if she could have fake nails. Fake nails! She's 4 and a half years old! This is not something you expect a four and a half year old to ask. Sydney is very determined, and she continued to ask. Not at that moment. But later in the day, she asked again. The next day she asked a few times, and the next day. Mom said she even asked when they got back to NY and were at my sister's house. Each time, she did the same thing 'MeMe, I need to talk to you in the other room'. Mom told her she was too young, fake nails would ruin her real nails, they weren't healthy, she tried all arguments. Sydney persisted. Mom said the last time Sydney asked (at her own house), Mom told her to talk to her mother.

We can't figure out why all of a sudden this came up. I thought perhaps one of her little friends has them. My sister called from Dallas today, she was killing time in the airport while waiting for her return flight home. I asked her about the fake nails, and she said she didn't think any of Syd's friends had them. She said Syd mentioned it to her one day, and my sister told her no. My sister used to have fake nails, but she hasn't had them in close to 10 years. If not over 10 years. So Sydney has never seen my sister with fake nails. My sister said the same thing my mom said 'Absolutely not'. I'm pretty sure that's what my brother in law will say too. He didn't say yes to getting her ears pierced until a year ago. Even that took a lot of convincing.

Of course, it makes me wonder- what kinds of parents are saying yes to four year olds getting fake nails?