Ramona, on Dangerous Manicures

Ramona has been wearing some fake fingernails around the house (a princess design -- a birthday purchase from Claire's.) She gushed about how much she loves long fingernails.

I then explained to her (was I feeling Short-Fingernail-Defensiveness?) that when I was younger, I wore my fingernails long. But after becoming a mommy and having to do so many practical things with my hands ("Like changing diapers," I told her, "and cuddling my babies, and brushing their hair, and cleaning, and cooking, and so on ....") I finally settled on a trim length that works for me.

She nodded sagely, getting it. Then she said, "Mommy! There's a lady at church, and she has really long fingernails. And she's a mom! She could impale one of her children!"