There are some moments, and many phrases, that awaken one to the startling reality: I am a parent! Gasp! It’s not that you don’t feel like a parent in the moments before uttering those phrases but there’s something powerful about the moment that startles you. You recognize you are no longer the hip, cool individual you believed yourself to be; you are now the authority figure of the household, a decidedly unhip, uncool position by its very nature.
The phrases are easy to think of:
– If you [fill in the blank] ONE MORE TIME, I’ll [insert threat].
– What were you THINKING?
– Don’t put that up your nose.
– If you eat one more bite of peas you can have ice cream for dessert.
Etc, etc, etc.
The moments are a bit tougher to remember, but we experienced one, a very sitcomish one in fact, last night.
Scene: A small backyard at dusk. Father holds a shovel. Mother walks slowly outside, a small parcel in her hands. A young child stands beside a hole in the garden soil, dark dirt forms a small pile next to her. The parcel contains the Departed.
Father: It’s time to bury Goldfish.
Child: Goldfish got died. He sick.
Father: Yes, Goldfish died and it’s time to bury him.
Mother: He was a good fish. [Pulls out a phrase she never thought she’d say…] Rest in peace, Goldfish.
The newspaper-wrapped pet is then lowered into the hole, dirt shoveled on top. The sun sets as the family walks indoors.
RIP, Goldfish. Welcome, Betta. [cue Circle of Life music]
7 Comments
Jeremy Mar 21, 2007 2:05 PM
Epilogue: Father and child put shovels back in the garage and start to join mother in house.
Child: [Stops and stoops over grave]. Bye-bye Goldfish. [Blows kiss. Resumes following mother.]
Father: [Watches and thinks “I love this little child.”]
RT Mar 21, 2007 2:13 PM
Awww. I didn’t know she did that!
mrscrumley Mar 21, 2007 2:13 PM
So sweet!
SarahW Mar 23, 2007 12:12 PM
Thanks for the book tip you left on my blog. I’ll definitely look into the book. I’ve also put “Shepharding a Child’s Heart” in the bathroom to start reading…sometimes that seems to be the only time I have time to read.
We just got a betta fish as well, our first family fish, for our 15 month old. She loves fish and we named it Chevda…one of the few words she can kinda say.
RT Mar 23, 2007 2:15 PM
Hey SarahW, thanks for stopping by! I think I own “Shepherding” as well. I start out with the best intentions of reading books (in particular, non-fiction ones on Christian living) and my interest wanes about halfway through every time. : / At any rate, finding reading time as a mom is definitely a challenge!
RT Mar 23, 2007 2:19 PM
In the don’t-put-that-in-your-nose! category… Livia’s latest hobby is tearing a tissue into tiny pieces, balling them up, then inserting one or two in her nose. I picked her up from Nana & Papa’s last night where she was secretly shredding a kleenex (on Papa’s side of the bed nonetheless). I didn’t think more of it until this morning when I extricated what I believed to be a huge booger. Wrong. Tissue ball. In my daughter’s right nostril. All. night. long.
And there you have it, a moment in the life of a toddler and her mama.
Rebecca A. Mar 24, 2007 1:33 PM
Since you brought it up Rebecca, I thought I would share what went up Jo’s nose the other night at dinner. I had made a salad with raw onions in it. Andy thought he had removed them all before giving Jo his portion. Well he was wrong. Jo found the only bit of small onion on in his plate and up his nose it went. Wow can that kid scream. Instant bloody nose. Just as my husband said okay get your stuff let’s go…..SNEEZE. Out it came.