Yeah, but … huh?
“Momma, Ren broke her promise to me.”
I look up from the laptop. They are standing in the bedroom door. Mare looks righteous. Ren looks happy to be out of bed.
I decide to take a pass on the fact they’re supposed to be asleep.
“Ren,” I say, “did you break your word to sister?”
She nods.
“She promised she would jump off the top bunk onto her bed and SHE DIDN’T!!” Mare says.
Oh.
“Ren,” I say. “Is that true?”
“Yeah, I was scared. That was too high. And I too little.”
I stare stupidly.
Had they come in and started speaking Aramaic I would have been less destabilized.
“Well done, Ren,” I say. “That’s just excellent. Don’t you ever do anything that feels unsafe.”
“I know,” she says, hopping up next to me on the bed.
Mare is sobbing. (”Sissies keep their promises to their sissieswaaaaaa!!”)
Gwen Steffani comes on the radio singing Sweet Escape. Renny starts to wiggle happily to the beat while Mare weeps.
Seriously, Lord, how do you expect me to keep a straight face?
“It was a bad promise, Mare,” I say. “Renny can’t promise to do something that’s bad. She has to break that promise. Renny, can you say ‘I’m sorry I made a bad promise?’”
“I sorry I made a bad promise, Sissy,” she chirps.
Mare, of course, weeps.
How did I get here?
I send Ren to their room. She bursts into tears and cries for Sissy. I tell her she’s not in any kind of trouble, and close the door on her wails. I turn my attention on the older one, who is carrying on like there’s a corpse.
“Ren was right,” I say. “I’m very proud of her,” (and stunned beyond expression) “she is too little, and she knew it, and she stopped. She did the right thing.”
Mare is wailing. Ren is wailing.
Cute Husband is standing in the doorway, silently accusing me of making our offspring insane.
Finally, we settle it. I agree to help Ren make the jump, but we all agree she’s too little to do it otherwise. She flies off the top, I catch, it’s all good. Before they settle back to bed, I take her aside.
“I’m very proud of you,” I say. “Never ever do something that feels not safe, no matter who tells you to do it.”
“I know. I was right. Sissy was wrong.”
“Yes. That is the staggering part of all this.” She shrugs and kisses me.
“I kiss you, Momma!” she laughs. Cute Husband shudders audibly.
July 22nd, 2008 at 11:54 pm
That is one smart Roodle.
July 23rd, 2008 at 4:36 am
Good for her!!!
July 23rd, 2008 at 7:08 am
And one very smart, and very RESTRAINED momma. How you managed to keep a straight face - must have been divine intervention. Or you really are a superwoman.
Great outcome, great writing — great learning experience for a terrified mom of two girls age 1 and 2.5.
July 23rd, 2008 at 9:33 am
Oh dear God. I’m scared…is it End of Days?
July 23rd, 2008 at 9:43 am
Damn! How did you do this? “Don’t you ever do anything that feels unsafe.” “I know,” she says.”
And this? “Instead she tilts her head and looks at the girl quizzically. “Why are you talking in that voice?” she asks.”
I want these things for my daughter but my mommy skills don’t come anywhere near to accomplishing them. I am the mom who is organized, on time and remembers pajama day and I am SO IN AWE OF YOU I can not even express it.
July 23rd, 2008 at 9:46 am
I love those “How did I get here moments!?!” I have them all the time…
July 23rd, 2008 at 10:14 am
Wow - I kept waiting to hear Ren say something like “Its too high. I too little. I don’t have my hang glider”. It makes me afraid… very afraid … as to what she may be plotting in return for this burst of cautiousness…
July 23rd, 2008 at 12:20 pm
I don’t know how in the world you handled it all so well and with a straight face. Bravo!
July 23rd, 2008 at 2:05 pm
You have such awesome kids !! And the fine balancing act known as being a mom, understanding what a promise means, yet being able to explain why all promises can’t be kept. You earned golden angel wings with this one !
What will the girls come up with next ?
July 23rd, 2008 at 3:08 pm
Almost makes up for the paint incident, doesn’t it?!!
July 23rd, 2008 at 4:11 pm
I think it is MOST awesome that you allowed Ren to come through on her promise in a safer way. Though the fact that the world started tilting in the other direction for a few minutes is pretty pretty freaky.
July 23rd, 2008 at 5:05 pm
That’s awesome that Ren knew her limit. Will you rent her out to give lessons to my toddler because he hasn’t learned his yet?
July 23rd, 2008 at 5:42 pm
Oh sweet lord, help us all.
That was strange, but you handled it as always, with a deft hand and a cool head, we all stand in awe of your magnificence.
July 23rd, 2008 at 6:26 pm
YEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAH Roodle!!
July 23rd, 2008 at 8:25 pm
I can just see you in your Percocet induced hazed humming, “It’s the end of the world as we know it…AND I FEEEL FIIINE!” Tell Cute Husband that the trickle of sweat rolling down his back is just the beginning: wait til they hit puberty!
July 24th, 2008 at 5:05 am
Your girls are such a great example of how little girls should be, full of spunk, confidence, fun, with a little feminine caution and levelheadedness thrown in.
I admire your strength of character and devotion to doing your best for them. Congrats- and I’m glad you’re on the road to recovery, as well.
July 24th, 2008 at 6:07 pm
I don’t know that I would have been able to keep a straight face. Who am I kidding, I KNOW I wouldn’t have been able to.
I think it’s great that Ren knew her limits. Those two are gonna be firecrackers when they get older!
July 24th, 2008 at 10:52 pm
All beautiful, your girls rock but the truly paralyzing thought: my kids have yet to attempt jumping off the bunk bed — we have this discovery to look forward to…YIKES. And my version of REN will NOT know her limits…
I must ask are you really this calm and collected as these things occur? Its great writing but I know I would be running at the mouth and likely ruining the opportunity for them to learn anything.
So glad you are recovering, have been checking for ticks nightly even though we are on vacation at Jersey shore. Nuts, but so be it.
July 26th, 2008 at 10:55 pm
You are so. Freakin’. Amazing.