Morning events

Rachel came into our bedroom this morning and reminded me that I had promised to buy her a necklace to replace the one that she gave to Libby last Friday (and promptly sobbed, since I think she regretted it immediately but couldn't take it back once she'd given it).

That was a foolish promise on my part, one I will never do again, because if she gives things away (as Drew pointed out to her last night), she can't expect to get them back and she can't expect that Mommy and Daddy will replace what she gives as gifts.

I was thinking of all of this and got very cross when Rachel mentioned it to me, because I was half-asleep and I can't for the life of me figure out when I would have time to buy her a necklace, anyway, especially the one she wants, which is at her doctor's office, where they give kids a token to get a little surprise at random, and I didn't want to head all the way in to Falls Church to take care of it.

"I just came in to wake you up," Rachel said in a hurt voice, as she slid off the bed.

I felt awful, and a few minutes later I went in to her room to apologize. She was on the floor, having forgotten the incident, and said proudly, "Look, Mom! I've almost folded my blanket!" (we insist that she makes her bed in the morning.) All was okay until we were walking to school and she remembered that she had meant to put Band-Aids on the blisters she's gotten from the monkey bars at school. I told her she could go to the clinic for the Band-Aids, and she got all worried that her teacher wouldn't give her permission to go, and then I told her to tell her teacher that her mom told her she needed to go to the clinic.

That still didn't satisfy her, so just as we reached the building I bent down and said, "How about we BOTH go to the clinic on the way to class, and I'll get you some Band-Aids."

The relief in her voice was palpable. "I love you, Mommy, because you always do good things for me," she said.

"Of COURSE I do!" I exclaimed, leaning down. "You're my DAUGHTER."

It's the little things, I guess...