There Sophie was insistently slamming her hand down over and over on the Hideout Hut. You may be asking yourself what in fact a Hideout Hut is and why was I allowing my daughter to beat it. Have patience and read on!
We were at the park and my darling daughter was attempting to wriggle her way into some other children’s play.
“Hey! Hey kid! I’ll have an ice cream sandwich. … Did you hear me kid?! An ice cream sandwich!”
Yes this is what she was saying. And the tone you are imagining it in right now … exactly the tone she was using. I’m her mother and even I felt it was pretty obnoxious.
But Sophie being the brilliant little lady she is, must have realized how irritating she was being and decided to shift her attitude.
She gently approached where the children were playing. I am watching from the picnic table on the outer edge of the playground. My heart is soaring with pride as I imagine her politely asking if she can join them in their juvenile performances. I can see my child growing before my eyes and I am humbled and awed at the wonderful little person she is becoming.
Too bad this all played out in the sanctity of my delirious mind.
In reality, Sophie as I said gently approached the kids. But rather than my imagined prospects of friendly repartee, she instead began screaming in their faces. Something about ice cream sandwiches and it being rude that they didn’t take her order. I was on my way to defuse the situation when Lars hopped out of nowhere and into the midst of the kerfuffle.
“Sorry about my sister. Come on Soph let’s go play over here.”
Then Sophie’s brother took her by the hand and led her towards the swings.
Whether it was the children taking pity on Sophie or wanting to play with Lars and realizing Sophie was a necessary add-on I’m not sure, but they changed their minds and off the whole gang went to play tag.
It wasn’t even three minutes (three minutes!) later that I hear Sophie screaming bloody murder once again.
I run towards their general direction to see what has happened.
Once again Lars is leading Sophie away from the group.
The girl is huffing and puffing about something and stomping her feet in an ornery way.
“What is wrong now!?” I ask, throwing my hands up in a notable fashion.
“Those guys were chasing Yarsy (Lars) and I didn’t like it!” she screamed while alligator tears streamed down her devastated face.
For a moment I even felt bad for her, then I was impressed that she could act so well, then I was annoyed that she duped me.
“Sophie we were playing tag, I told you that!” Lars tried to rebut.
We all decided to go home. We didn’t need any more park shenanigans bringing us down.
That night when I asked the children to brush their teeth for bed, I received the same response I do every night from Sophie.
“Oh Mama my tummy hurts soooo bad!” Even though she was running around half naked with a Barbie in one hand and Pinky Pony in the other claiming she had the fastest pony Barbie flying team in the universe, only milliseconds before.
I responded to this by saying, “Fine don’t brush. See if I care when your teeth all turn mouldy and black and fall out of your head and then you will look like a little old lady with no teeth! No big deal right!”
And yes, I partnered this with the appropriate facial expressions, too.
Finally, once bedtime came, a single tear rolled ever so swiftly down the girl child’s cheek. I asked what was bothering her.
She instantaneously began bawling, reciting all of the woes that had overcome her three-year-old existence this dreadful day.
I attempted to console her, but I too was beginning to get a little teary eyed as she was making it all sound so damn unbearable!
Throughout the whole ordeal she kept grabbing my hand and caressing her face with it. Finally I asked what and why she was doing such a thing.
“Because I want you to feel how big my tears are Mama.”
It was then that I realized my daughter is a drama queen. But I can’t for the life of me figure out where she gets it from. …
Lindsay Brown is a Sylvan Lake mother of two and freelance columnist.