Irony and the 5 year old

Brooklyn gets sarcasm.  We use it enough in our house that she should.  For the most part, she doesn't try to use it on us (knowing she will get in trouble,)  but there have a been a few "duh" moments and eye rolls.  Sarcasm she gets... irony-  now that's a little illusive.

On Tuesday, Brooklyn came in the door from school and immediately went upstairs to change.  I had barely gotten Kensi out of her carrier before Brooklyn came barreling back downstairs in her Cinderella dress and crown, ready to play "school" with her stuffed "friends."  After about ten minutes, when things seemed to be fairly quiet in her playroom, Brooklyn came to me holding a ziplock bag full of dirt, trying to tell me that some of the dirt had "accidentally" spilled on the carpet and that some water had "accidentally" gotten spilled on top, making mud.  I jumped up (with babe in arms) and went into the playroom to see what latest mess had been created.  Sure enough, there on the floor was a pile of wet dirt.  Next to it, a water bottle with the lid off.

After questioning Brooklyn for just a few minutes (her mind moves at the speed of light and no sooner had I gotten the first question out had she already tried to figure out what story to tell that would get her in the least amount of trouble) I determined that the "accident" was really that she hadn't thought her experiment all the way through.  The "accident" was not that dirt got spilled on the carpet - she put it there.  The "accident" was not that water got spilled on top of the dirt - again, all Brooklyn's doing.  No, the "accident" came when Brooklyn realized that she wouldn't be able to clean up the wet dirt and that the wet dirt was making the carpet dirty.  I do give her kudos for at least coming to me and telling me, rather than trying to hide it.

I explained to Brooklyn (once again) that it is never a good idea to bring bags full of dirt into the house.  I reminded her that she has tried to bring dirt home from school before and each time she has had to throw it away.  Then I told her that she had to clean it up and to go and get the vacuum, which she did.

And here, gentle readers, is where the irony gets lost on the 5 year old:

All together now: "Cinder-elly, Cinder-elly, Night and day it's 'Cinder-elly!' Do the washing, and the moppin, they always keep her hoppin."