I’m Beside Myself Over This One

In my nearly seven years as a parent, I have noticed that having children often gives new meaning to familiar phrases. For example, after my first was born, I actually did cry over spilled milk. It was the breast milk I had just pumped.

Now that she is older, my first child gives her own definitions to old clichés. And, of course, the funny thing is that she doesn’t even realize she’s doing it. This morning’s drive to school was one such instance.

For my family, it is a common occurrence to notice and comment on vehicles that look just like our own. Someone will see a white Rendezvous in a parking lot or driveway and will say, “Look, there we are!”

On the way to school this morning, my daughter saw a car like ours just outside her window and said, “We’re next to ourselves.” And so she has unwittingly but oh-so-cleverly redefined being beside oneself.

What will she come up with next?