It started with a call home from school. Not the usual kind—this was a please come in call. The school psychologist wanted to meet my mom.
By the time she arrived, my mom had imagined every worst-case scenario. The psychologist welcomed her into a small office and laid out several pictures on the table: potatoes, carrots, beets.
Then she asked casually, “What would you call these things together?”
“Vegetables,” my mom answered without hesitation.
The psychologist nodded. “That’s correct. But your daughter said something different.”
My mom’s stomach dropped.
“What did she say?”
“She said, ‘ingredients.’ Specifically, ingredients for soup.”
The psychologist explained that the test measured how children categorize objects. Most kids said “vegetables” or “food.” Some said “things I don’t like.” But I went straight to function.
To me, potatoes were mashed potatoes or fries. Carrots were snacks or cake ingredients. Beets were… unavoidable soup stains. I didn’t think in labels—I thought in use.
The psychologist reassured my mom that nothing was wrong. In fact, she said it showed strong practical and contextual thinking.
Then she added that when asked what a chair was for, most kids said “sitting.” I said, “Standing on to reach high places.” A bed? “Reading, hiding snacks, and pretending to be sick.”
My mom laughed in relief. “So she’s normal?”
“Oh, absolutely,” the psychologist said. “She just thinks practically.”
Years later, the story still comes up at dinner. It turns out it was never about vegetables.
It was about perspective.
