Earlier, Daughter 2 and I were returning from the grocery store, where I had picked up - among other things - the ingredients to make chocolate chip pies. While I never said I was making a chocolate pie, Daughter 2 is a smart cookie and she knew what I was up to...and she wanted to secure her piece of the pie, pun intended!
So as we drove home just past sundown, Daughter 2 gazed out the minivan window, spied the first star of the night and said - in her sweetest voice ever, "Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight: I wish I may, I wish I might have this wish I wish tonight... I wish for a chocolate chip pie!"
It was a very sweet moment, literally and figuratively, when I baked up a chocolate chip pie and announced to the family that Daughter 2's wish and come true! We had a chocolate chip pie in the house!
And then Daughter 2 announced that it was her wish, her pie, so talk to the hand, cause the mouth is eatin' pastry. While she was in her room thinking about not being a smarty pants, the rest of the family shared in THEIR own slice of the pie.
Life just isn't fair for Daughter 2. Eventually, she was consoled by the fact that she did, indeed, wish for the pie and she was, in a round-about way, the whole reason that the whole family was enjoying a whole chocolate chip pie.
Later that week, we had a full moon and Daughter 2 - who is a night owl, or a werewolf; we haven't decided which - wanted to lay in the back yard staring at the moon. As I walked past the back door, I heard her scream,"O. M. G! A shooting star!" Then I heard her rattle off this string of wishes: "I wish to wear make-up all the time! {pause} Oh cool! I wish for my own pair of high heels! {pause} WOW! I wish to go swimming every day, even in the snow! {pause} HOLY MOLY! I wish to meet Taylor Swift AND Selena Gomez!"
I interrupted her litany of wishes and reminded her that she only got one wish.
"No way, Mom!" She hollered quickly! This shooting star is still going!" I followed her gaze to an airplane right over our house.
"OH, Honey! That's a plane. You don't get to wish upon a 747!" I explained, gently and sweetly.
"WHAT??!?! This is like the chocolate chip pie bit all over!! WHY CAN'T I EVER JUST GET ONE THING I WANT??!?!?!" She confessed in her lady-like way.
OK - lady-like is NOT her strongest suit. And it wasn't my best momma moment. I mean, really... I should have just let her wish her little heart away and find out on her own that not all wishes come true. I had accidentally tanked her dreams with a plane crash, and it didn't feel good.
I vowed upon that steadily cruising plane that I would not dash my daughters' dreams anymore if I could help it.
The next week, as Daughter 2 and I were shopping at The Walmarts (even though it seems we might actually live there, we don't) and Daughter 2 noticed a woman with approximately 42 piercings all up and down her ears. She stared longingly at the woman's ears and then put my vow to the test: "Momma? Can I have my ears double or triple pierced?"
Ummmm.... OK -- how do I answer this without doing two things: 1. Scream NO! and 2. Dash her dreams! Quick! Think! .... Ummm.... Got it!
"Daughter 2, you may get your ears double pierced when you are 18." Ha! How was THAT for quick thinking on my part? I was feeling my momma groove again. And Daughter 2? She replied with a smile and a sweet, "Cool!"
The next aisle, we saw a woman with pink and green hair. Daughter 2 stared mesmerized by the color and, after we picked up our Fiber One and Rainbow Brite picked up her Trix, Daughter 2 asked, "Momma? Can I get my hair 'high-dyed' pink?"
"Sure, Babydoll! As soon as you're 18."
"Really? Thanks Momma!" Little did she know she had 12 years to wait. The important thing was that I wasn't having to tell her "no" and she was getting to dream her little dreams.
In the produce section, we saw a couple who had numerous, colorful tattoos on every exposed part of their bodies. Daughter 2 was in awe!! As soon as we got our cucumbers and romaine, we moved on to the check outs and Daughter 2 posed her question: Momma? When I'm 18 can I get a tattoo?
"Honey - when you're 18, you sure can!"
She giggled and gave me a huge hug, and planted a sloppy kiss on my cheek. "You're the best, Momma!" And I was in Momma Heaven! I had not dashed my daughter's dreams! I had not had to tell her no! I had maintained some sort of semblance of authority! It was a great day.
Then... (there's always a then, right?) Daughter 2, smiling ear to ear, hugged my waisted and said, "Momma? Thank you! When I'm 18, I'm gonna be SO hot!"
And,when Daughter 2 is 18, The Dad and I are gonna be SO in trouble!
