Guest List

Our three year old granddaughter has a birthday soon... and a birthday party too! The guests, unsurprisingly, are a flock of little girls of broadly similar ages. Eight year old brother asked if he could go to her party. She swiftly replied “No! You’re a boy, not a girl.”

To this he quickly retorted “Well too bad, because I’m coming anyway!”

I keep asking if I can go to her party. “No, Baba!” she replies without further explanation.

“Can I come to your party?” asked Granny yesterday.

“Yes!” was the answer after some thought. “Write your name on the list.”...