Skip to main content

Another Bedtime Conversation

Prior to lights-out, we read The Runaway Bunny. Mallory saw the inscription on the first page and asked what it said. "To Mallory from Mimi," I said. "No, there are more words than that," my now-literate-child corrected. I sighed and said, "It says, 'To Mallory from Aunt Amy and Uncle S.'" Mallory said, "Who's S?" I said, "The person Mimi used to be married to." Mallory said, "Oh yeah, I remember." Then we read the book and the girls got into bed. And then:

Mallory: Why isn't Mimi married to that boy anymore?

Me: They just decided they would be happier if they weren't married anymore.

Mallory: But why?

Me: Well, actually, S wasn't always very nice to Mimi.

Phoebe: Oh no!

Mallory: What would he do?

Me: I don't know exactly. He just wasn't always a nice guy.

Mallory: Did they fight?

Me: Yes.

Mallory: Sometimes you and Daddy fight.

Me: Yes, we do. The difference is that Daddy and I still try to be respectful of one another, even if we fight, and we still love one another. S was not always respectful, so Mimi decided not to be married to him anymore.

Phoebe: Yeah, that's right!

Mallory: Mommy, do you know one reason why I love you?

Me: Why?

Mallory: Because I really like the boy you married.

Me: Thanks. I like him too.

Mallory: And you got some really nice babies too!

Me: Yes, I agree.

Comments

Anonymous said…
I think that Mallory has it figured out!

Mom
aimee said…
too cute!
H Noble said…
That is the most precious thing! How sweet and thanks for sharing it!
Holly

Popular posts from this blog

It's what's for dinner

One of the things that I failed to appreciate about my mom until I left home is that she always made dinner (although I think we called it supper then), by which I mean, something hot, usually involving a vegetable. I don't remember my mom ever saying sheepishly to her hungry spouse and offspring, "I don't feel like cooking, how about a bowl of cereal?" I hate making dinner. Haaate it. It's my least favorite chore. It's not necessarily because I can't cook. I can usually manage to create something edible, although I have yet to perfect the science of getting, say, the chicken and the broccoli and the rice and the rolls all ready at the same time. (There are those among you who may be surprised that I make and serve broccoli. It's true! It's best when roasted: Toss with olive oil and salt, spread on a baking sheet, put in 400 degree oven for about 8 minutes. It's delicious! Delicious as broccoli can be, at least.) It's also not necessarily t...

Merry Christmas to Joey, too!

Scene: After the Christmas pageant. Me: You did great, Mallory, we're proud of you! Mallory: What was your favorite part? Me: Hmm. I liked the "Whatcha Gonna Call That Baby?" song. Chris: I liked that one too. Me: But I also liked "Joy to the World." Mallory: Joey in the world? What's that? Me: No, joy to the world, the song you just sang. Mallory: Oh yeah. Me: That's one of my favorite songs. Phoebe: A favorite song is a song that's your favorite and you like it and you sing. (Pause) Phoebe: And you dance. Mallory, before the show, in front of our haphazardly decorated Christmas tree. Phoebe declined to be photographed. All I was able to photograph of the event itself: Phoebe, objecting to the camera's flash: Now she closes her eyes before I snap every picture. Sigh. But she's cute anyway! And so is Mallory! And their dresses match! We're thinking Arby's: Okay, that's it! Recently read: The Golden Compass and The Subtle Knife . ...

Little sisters

Mallory was invited for a sleepover tonight; this morning, as she was packing her suitcase, Phoebe came in and said, "Me too!" When Chris found her suitcase, and gently told her that she wasn't invited to the sleepover, she cried for an hour. I think I'll always have a special sort of sympathy for Phoebe, my second child, because I was the second child too*. (And it's odd, because although I have younger siblings as well, I always think of myself as a little sister, or as the younger older sister, if that makes sense. I think that's because Jana, my big sister, was so good at being the oldest, responsible and, uh, authoritarian, and I am, well, fundamentally irresponsible. We all bowed to her! In a good way. I could never live up to that.) I often feel sorry for Phoebe, left behind while Mallory goes to school all day, because I well remember the long, lonely boring days I spent waiting for Jana to come home from school (not counting the days I spent playing i...