I’m sure I have written about this before.
If the child was deserted on a desert island and could only pick one parent to save - I would be it.
It’s not that Mommy isn’t loved or needed, but if I’m around:
I am the Man. Full Stop.
Trouble is, sometimes Dad can’t be the Man. As much as Dad would like to hang round 24/7 sometimes dear old dad has to work or not be at the beck and call of a six-year-old.
And let me tell you, she’s got me wrapped around her finger. I would move mountains.
But! We’re trying to get her to realize that I can’t be the chosen one all the time and sometimes Dad can’t be around and she just has to deal.
Take this morning as an example: I got up before her and went out and uber-ed for a bit in the morning because that’s where the money is. And this morning, she had no problem with the fact that I wasn’t there. I warned her last night that this was going to happen, and I think this is key: She does not like change.
Take our disaster earlier this week: She was playing and was told to stop and come home.
And we all know how that turned out.
Same thing happened tonight: She was so so so tired to the point where she got overtired and then it was a struggle to get her into the PJ’s and teeth brushed. I missed the window of tired and she got too tired. Finally I got her tucked in and turned off the light but that wasn’t working for her.
She wanted me by her side.
Meanwhile, Dad is trying to get her to go to bed so he can have an hour in his head to write before he has to go to bed (BTW, while all this was going on - BW was ALREADY in BED. She has no problem with me being the chosen one)
Cue the Tears. I told her that she just needs to close her eyes, and she doesn’t need one more huggie from Dad.
“But I think about you all the time!”, she cried. “I neeeeed you”, as she looked up at me with that lower lip fully stuck out in the biggest pout you’ve seen.
I argued that she just needs to go to bed as she’s been up for 14 hours and had a very, very busy day.
She just needs to sleep.
Then I hugged her one more time because I missed the morning one so I figured I owed her one.
Oh, and Pumpkin? I need you too.
Until Next Time,
TH and Co.