I spoke to Lisa on the phone tonight, and she told me that Amelie came up to her this afternoon and said this:

"Mum, is there a difference between a lie and, as they say, an exaggeration?"

Which sounds like a pretty impressive question for a two-year-old. Until you realise it's a direct quote from an episode of Angelina Ballerina. She's not so much a free thinker as a copycat. It's like quoting "To be or not to be", but with a better question.

Anyhoo, I haven't heard Lisa's answer yet, but I doubt she told her the truth. Personally I've been busy this evening completing my homework from the Assertiveness Course. The trainer asked me to do it, and I didn't like to say no.

Today's session involved writing the film script of my life, but with less apologising and backing down, plus tips on how to recognise aggressive behaviour in others. We all agreed that punching you in the face would be a giveaway, but we also discussed other methods of non-verbal communication. Which led us to the story of the man who didn't realise he'd lost two fingers in an industrial accident, until he tried to say goodbye to his boss.

Tomorrow we've been told to expect role-playing. So I'm taking my Dungeons & Dragons set, and some twenty-sided dice.