That Hissing Sound You Hear Is My Ego Deflating

Em is 8. She is getting into the shower, and kind of poking at herself.

Em: I know you always say I'm not fat, but do you think I'm a little too fat?
Me: Why do you ask?
Em: Well, my belly does go out like this...(she traces her shape which is, admittedly, deliciously pudgy) and a lot of my friends...(she trails off)
Me: No, I don't think you're too fat. But you've always had more muscle on you than a lot of your friends, so you're never going to be all skinny the way C and K are. And that's why I sometimes remind you not to eat too much junk food.
Em: But C eats junk food all the time, and her belly goes like this...(she tries to suck in to approximate her friend's concave shape, but fails).
Me: Yep. That's just the way it is. Some people can eat anything they want, and other people have to be a little more careful.
Em, turns around and pats my belly: Yeah. Daddy and N are the skinny ones in the family, right? And Daddy's also the one with the muscles, so I guess I get those from him.

And with that, she flexes her arm muscles, pulls the shower curtain shut, and begins singing, while I stand there, fat and flabby and wondering how, exactly, that conversation got away from me so badly.