While he was gone on his trip, Allie and I did some serious girl bonding. Last night we had a slumber party. We huddled under a blanket with Ben watching a movie while we gorged ourselves on popcorn and Reeces Pieces. If you haven't tried putting Reeces Pieces in your popcorn, you really are missing out on one of the finer things in life.
After Ben went to sleep, we climbed into my bed together. I suggested we read. It's something we used to do often, but with the birth of the little ones, it fell out of our routine. So we took turns reading chapters aloud from From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. My grandmother gave me this book as a child and then, again, when I had children of my own. Surprisingly though, Allie had never read it. I was tickled to see what she thought of Claudia, an under appreciated eleven-year-old, like herself.
Then I
We stayed up talking and giggling in the dark for a while. Eventually she snuggled down between her stuffed dog and her real one, and went to sleep.
For a long time I just laid next to her in the dark, savoring the glow of our evening together. I listened to the soft rhythm of her breathing, the way I did when she was tiny. Sentimentally mulling over how long it had been. And I realized, with a tiny flash of awareness, that I had just experienced a memory in the making. Something I may hold on to for years to come.
A night when I got it right.
It was one of those fleeting moments in life, where I wonder how I could ever be anything but thankful.
15 comments:
Having 2 eleven year olds of my own I can appreciate with you those rare moments, that are memory making. It is as they say, "they grow up way to fast." Way to go on a wonderful night!!
You don't mind if I'm incredibly envious over here, do you?
See, it's that mother-daughter bonding thing. Needs...a daughter.
(I'm so glad you had that kind of night. Magical.)
This brought tears to my eyes Joy! I am going to remember this too so that I can find my own special night someday when Pumpkin is standing on that cusp between being a girl and a young woman.
You are a wonderful mom, and I know you "get it right" a lot more often than you give yourself credit for.
What a perfect night. I'm sure she'll remember it for a long time.
Those nights when we drift off to sleep thinking "Today I got it right." are priceless, aren't they? If we had perfect days on a daily basis, they'd be a lot less valuable.
Oh, this was a beautiful post! Just perfect. Like your night!
You brought tears to my eyes...again.
A night when you got it right: may you have many, many more.
She's got memories you don't even know about that remind her of you 'getting it right.' Celebrate this moment, but trust that there have been countless others of which you've already forgotten.
-a daughter who knows
Oh Slouchy! Spin the wheel, have another!
OK YOU MADE ME TEAR UP. YOU ALSO REMINDED ME OF THE FACT THAT I DONT TAKE ENOUGH TIME WITH BRITTNEE. SHE AND I ARE SO OPPOSITE OF YOU AND ALLIE. WE DONT GET ALONG. EVERYONE SAYS SHE IS A SPITTING IMAGE OF ME BUT AS FAR AS HAVING THINGS IN COMMON I THINK WE ARE ON DIFFERENT PAGES. ITS LIKE SHE TRIES TO BE DIFFERENT. I'VE REALLY BEEN CONTEMPLATING ON OUR RELATIONSHIP FOR A WHILE NOW. ALTHOUGH SHE DOES NOT ADMIT IT I BELIEVE SHE HAS SOME RESENTMENT OVER TY BEING HERE AND THE TIME HE CONSUMES ALTHOUGH OUR RELATIONSHIP WAS NOT MUCH DIFFERENT BEFORE HE CAME ALONG. YOUR POST HAS HELPED ME TO SEE THAT I NEED TO REALLY MAKE TAKE MORE TIME WITH BRITTNEE AND WHAT SHE CARES ABOUT. THANKS FOR THAT. LOVE YALL
What a beautiful post - wonderful.
beautiful post. And reeses? I've done m&ms, but reeses sounds even better.
I try to have nights like that every week....of course, I only have one girl and no one else to save that spot for :) I can't imagine not having our special snuggle, cuddle, tickle, story-telling time. Even when she sleeps in her own bed, I still try to lay with her until she falls asleep. That time is my favorite time of day....I don't want her to grow up :(
That was so beautiful. Like Slouching Mom, it hit me in the gut that I.don't.have.a.daughter.
I love those moments and feel like I can't steal enought of them from Tay. We try to make it count when we do have that special time together. I think she understands I need it just as much as she does. She was my "only" for 11 years and it's fun for it to feel like that again, even for just an evening!
Just found your blog and I'm glad I did. This is a beautifully written post. My daughter is one month away from turning 11. Some days we really butt heads, but today was one of those practically perfect days. We went to the mall, she got a haircut, we stopped for cookies and then did a bit of Christmas shopping. It brought back wonderful memories of spending the day with my mom when I was that age. I love what you said about "just creating a memory."
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