Last night was a pretty crazy night for RP and I. I knew that there were storm watches in the area, but lo and behold some weird storm popped up and wreaked havoc on our entire area, and the storm predictions were so bad that I corralled the cat, puppies, RP, and myself and headed to the basement to ride it out. I've been in this house for over seven years now and this is only the second time I've ever had to do that, so it's a bit unsettling for me.
That being said, I really tried to stay calm and have RP think that it was this was no big deal - the weather outside was getting nasty and that when sirens go off like that the safest place for us is in the basement. Turns out, I needn't have worried - she LOVED the entire experience. Was it the fact that she got to stay up past her bedtime? Could be. Was it that she still has toys in the basement from when I moved them there before her birthday party in April and she got to play with "new stuff?" Quite possibly. It could be those, and any number of other factors, I'll never really know.
What sticks out for me in the experience is what she said to me in the midst of the storm. I was sitting on the floor listening to "The Weather Channel" and watching her play on her Sit 'n Spin, when out of the blue she comes running over to me with a big grin on her face, throws her arms around my neck and gives me the biggest hug ever. She looked into my eyes and said, "I don't want any other Mommy ever Momma - I just want you forever and 'eva and 'eva and 'eva. She then kissed me on the cheek, hugged me again, then ran back to her Sit 'n Spin.
I choked up at this, because while it's cute and utterly sweet and adorable, I know where this comment came from. A couple of weeks ago RP was having a particularly "rough" afternoon. She refused to listen and cooperate and spent a bit of time in the "Naughty Corner" in her room, which seemed to be of no help whatsoever. Exasperated with her tantrums and naughtiness, I finally said to her, "RP, I'm not sure what the problem is today, but you definitely don't seem happy to be here with Mommy. You have been out of pocket all day and it's frustrating for both of us - perhaps you would like to go live with another Mommy, since you don't seem happy with anything I say or do. Is that what you would like?" Her response at that point was an emphatic, "Yes Mommy." I was crushed, and asked her again, "So, you'd like a new Mommy - is that what you're telling me?" Her response again was, "Yes Mommy - you are mean. I need a new Mommy." Yep - crushed.
I remember a similar situation with my own mom as a child (although I believe I was a bit older than RP at the time) and my mom actually packed a bag and brought it to the stairs for me, telling me I could go at any time, and those were the things I could take. I tried a similar tactic with RP, taking her to her room, pulling out her pink travel bag, and telling her she could take whatever fit in that bag to find her new Mommy, but that everything else, including the puppies, was staying here. I'll admit to being choked up during the entire process, and at first she cheerfully went about putting toys and books in the bag - until she realized that I would NOT be going with her. THEN the waterworks started, along with cries of, "No, no Mommy - me no go. Me no go!!!" We sat down and had a long talk about what it meant to be a family and how respect in the family works, and I left it at that (well, that and telling her she had to put all her stuff away if she was truly staying), and we hadn't talked about it since. Apparently SHE still remembers the conversation and wanted to reiterate for me that she has no intention of going anywhere and that I'm the Mommy for her.
Have I mentioned lately how much I love that little munchkin?
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