Skip to main content

The mind of a 6-year-old

Mallory said, in reference to my upcoming trip to New York, that I shouldn't go at all because she will miss me too much. I said that I would miss her too. "But," I added, "I'm excited that I'll get to see Grandmom and Aunt Jana and Aunt Aimee, because I really miss them too. I don't get to spend time with them very often."

"Yeah, but you spend more time with them than you do with me," she said.

"No, I don't. How could I? They live across the country," I said.

"I mean," she clarified, "in your whole life, you've spent more time with them than with me. So you should stay home."




On a sadder note, my in-law's dog died last weekend. Sophie was a Miniature Schnauzer, a bit yappy and getting crotchety in her old age. She was never a great playmate for the kids, but she was always there, and she was loyal. (In fact, when I went back to work and we started bringing Mallory over there every day, Sophie made it a habit to go perch in the driveway and wait for her. On weekends, she'd sit and wait for hours before finally giving up.) Phoebe, I think, doesn't quite understand what it means that Sophie is dead; Mallory does, but I hadn't thought it bothered her all that much. But then on Sunday night, she said, "Do dogs understand words?"

"Well," I said, "they understand some words. Finn understands 'sit' and 'no' and 'come here,' for example."

"Would Finn understand it if I said, 'Don't ever go to heaven'?"

RIP Sophie, you were a good girl.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Mallory can be very logical at times, can't she.

Mom
aimee said…
Yes, she sure can. That is hilarious about how you have spent way more time with us.

Sorry about Sophie.

Popular posts from this blog

I ask you

This is my garden: Or rather, this is the patch of soil that was my garden last summer. It produced millions of tomatoes, dozens of green peppers, a handful of cucumbers, and two puny watermelons. I do not wish to repeat last summer's vegetable bounty, because most of said bounty went to waste. Nor, however, do I want this patch of soil to remain brown and bare throughout the summer, because it's unattractive. So, what do I plant here, in the shrubbery/flowery vein? Keep in mind that I do not have a green thumb. Also, I don't want to spend a lot of money. Also, this area is in full sun most of the day. And it's really hot. And sometimes we get rabbits. Any advice? To thank you in advance, I give you these goofy photos of my children and their homemade parfaits (which Mallory persisted in calling "specialinis").

the closet

Amy has challenged me to list 8 things that are hidden in the back of my closet. I try not to actually look to closely at the back of my closet, so these are my closest guesses: 1. At least three no-longer-needed diaper bags. 2. An outfit that I've been meaning to return to Land's End for at least six months now. 3. One of our wedding pictures, which has a broken frame which I keep meaning to replace. 4. Shoes, shoes, shoes, shoes. 5. Possibly a pair of fuzzy slippers. I miss those fuzzy slippers. Maybe I should brave the mess and go try to find them. 6. Baby blankets. 7. A few small toys that I meant to stick in the girls' Christmas stockings. Maybe next year. 8. And I'm guessing, a bunch of mismatched socks. My closet isn't very interesting, I'm afraid.

The Golf Course

There was a miniature golf course in my grandparent’s house. There were, in fact, lots of cool-if-kitschy things in my grandparents’ house. There were swinging saloon doors between the kitchen and the master suite. There was a toilet seat made of transparent plastic, with ticket stubs from horse races embedded therein. There was a globe wine bar (pictured!). There was a mounted goat head (the goat was named Bucky) on whose antlers my granddad hung his golf caps. There was a stuffed pheasant whose chest feathers were smooth as silk. There was a kitchen bar of green marbled formica and swively kitchen chairs of red pleather. There was an automatic ice dispenser on the refrigerator, which was a rare and awe-inspiring thing in the 1970’s. There was a mirrored tray holding bejeweled perfume bottles with atomizers in the guest bathroom. There were two huge oil paintings – one of my aunt, with beautifully frosted hair, holding a Pug, one of my older sister as a toddler sitting on a John De...