In My Daughter’s Eyes

When the kids got home from school on Wednesday, they decided to have hot chocolate for “snack”. I thought this sounded like a pretty tasty idea, so I joined them (with a bit of butterscotch schnappes added to mine. DON’T JUDGE ME! It was 4:20 & Theta Mom said she was having a drink b/c “It is 5:00 somewhere”). OK, anyway…when I took my cup out of the microwave, M (remember, she is 10 & knows everything) asks me “Mommy, how long did you put your water in for?” “2 minutes” I replied. “Wow! Doesn’t it hurt your skin? I mean, doesn’t it burn your skin being that hot?” “Hmmm, not really. I mean it’s not that hot to my fingers.” “It would be for mine! But my skin is fairly new. Your skin is old.” GRRRRRR did she just say that? As the sentence “I was in labor for 34.5 hours with you child, get into your room!” formed in my mind, she then said something else.

“I love it when you get to the end of your drink and can see your reflection while drinking.”

<sigh> this is where my heart melted. Just that little bit of innocence. She has gotten so big, so fast. The years have slipped away before my eyes. I am getting close to treading in unfamiliar hormonal territory with her, but she still show’s that she is a child. Just a simple, innocent statement. A bit of discovery in the world. The rush of emotion that swept over me was the same as when she slipped her hand into mine when she was 1. Something so simple as a little observation, something that has happened to me a million times, but this time, when I reached the bottom of my cup, I was able to stop and appreciate the little bit of innocence that my daughter reminded me was in the world.