We’d been staying in a lovely resort in beautiful Banff, Alberta.
(This resort has everything. Comfortable rooms with every amenity. Pool. Sauna. Play rooms. Workout rooms. Squash courts. Tennis courts. Mountain bike borrowing. Nearby everything. And happy, helpful people.)
But no by-the-minute maid service.
On with my story . . .
 |
| Okay. Now picture it lost. |
The world had ended.
Everything is a tragedy when you’re three.
And Little Girl (LG) was three.
I told LG, "It'll show up. When you clean up."
“But I don’t want to clean up,” she told me with little girl logic.
I countered with old lady logic. “Well, when you’re done playing, you will have to clean up.”
The small lower lip came out and she turned away and continued to play.
A day or two later, we were packing the apartment for the inevitable checking-out.
Sigh.
Lego kitty still hadn’t had the grace or good manners to show up.
Tears threatened at the thought of leaving the minuscule – but highly important – toy behind.
A search was initiated. With little success.
I repeated my mantra. “It’ll show up. When you clean up.”
Fortunately, Mom had my back. She nodded. “Let's try it. Let’s clean up.”
Sighing heavily, the now-put-upon LG started picking up her Legos.
In a short time, all were safely stowed in their handy-dandy little Lego-shaped box. The floor lay, pristine and clean.
Still no kitty.
I could see the doubt starting in the big, hazel eyes.
“Okay,” I said, “Let’s move the sofa!”
Mom pushed and I pulled and VOILA a little, gray kitty appeared.
LG pounced on it and held it up triumphantly. “It’s here!” She crowed happily. “When you clean up, it shows up!” She tucked the toy in with its brothers and sisters and packed her box away.
I looked at her mother and we both smiled.
Once in a while, you have a good parenting moment.
And sometimes, you have to wait a while. A generation, in fact.
I’ll take it.
P.S. On several different occasions, I've heard LG, now 8, telling her cousins that, 'If you clean up. It'll show up!'
With varying degrees of success.
We'll keep at it...
You have a way with words. Even to making a disappeared Lego kitty an exciting story.
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of my granny: "Look at the floor!" she always said whenever something was missing. And even if we did not remember dropping the sought for object, it more often than not was on the floor.
I remember a story my Mom used to tell about my sister looking for her lost shoes. Up. She needed your granny's advice!
DeleteSounds like LG learned a good lesson that day! When in doubt, move the sofa! I've found many a lost thing underneath.
ReplyDeleteSofas eat stuff. True story.
DeleteThat was a very good lesson learned.
ReplyDeleteThat's what I thought! Wish her mom would have learned it earlier! ;)
DeleteShe will learn that mama and grandmama are always right!
ReplyDeleteExactly!
DeleteNow THAT's a happy ending - lego kitty found and a new good habit instilled :)
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't happen often. But when it does . . .
DeleteOh the dreaded legos! I don't know how many have ended up under my feet over the years. (Rena)
ReplyDelete