Doll Etiquette

I spent the afternoon at the house of friends whose eldest daughter just graduated high school. The eight kids of that family have unofficially adopted me as one of their own, and so they all call me Uncle Sean.

A few years ago I was visiting around Christmas time, and the children were showing me the gifts they'd received. Hannah (the third daughter) introduced me to a new doll that she'd Christened Emily: "Look Uncle Sean, Emily likes to dance in the living room and sit on the couch and walk up the stairs," etc.

Emily was clearly a very capable and talented doll, so I wanted to make her better acquaintance. "Hannah, do you think Emily would like to have a bite of this home-made bread that I'm eating?" I asked.

Hannah greeted my suggestion with an incredulous stare. "Uncle Sean, Emily is just a doll, she doesn't eat bread."

"Of course," I agreed. "What was I thinking."