At the ballet studio where Scarlett takes classes, spectators can’t be in the room where the dancers are to avoid distractions. But there is a big window where we all gather to keep an eye on the fancy footwork. While watching one day, I said something friendly to a pre-school-aged older sister waiting for her class. And she just stared at me like I was speaking Chinese. Her mom hastily explained that she has what is called “periodic selective mutism,” which apparently means that she sometimes can choose to talk and sometimes can’t. Interesting, I thought to myself, but I could literally hear my dad say, “Or your kid is just rude.” And I laughed a little to myself. Not that I don’t believe selective mutism exists or that this little girl isn’t afflicted with it, but 
it did get me thinking about the lengths we go to putting the actions of those we love in a positive light. And parents are the most stubborn spin doctors there are. Have you ever noticed how other people’s children need more discipline but yours needs a nap? Or that other kids are badly behaved but yours is overwhelmed by the situation? I guess it all depends on who’s doing the defining. In Cathleen Schurr’s The Shy Little Kitten, everyone assumes the reluctant feline is shy because she doesn't hang out with the crowd or talk a lot. Maybe she needs her space. Maybe she’s communicatively selective. Or maybe she’s just a brat. http://www.amazon.com/Shy-Little-Kitten-Golden-Storybook/dp/0307160394
http://www.randomhouse.com/author/results.pperl?authorid=38357
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