The Girl and the Tick and the Saturday Trip.

I had an agenda on Saturday.  I ALWAYS have an agenda, a plan, and a list.  Usually several lists.  My hubby was doing his own thing and I was going to do some really important things like work on my blog, tests some recipes, write some recipes, check some other people's blogs, find some new blogs, check the stats on my blog, download some pictures, print some recipes from some blogs, possibly change the color of my blog background, and give myself a pedicure.

My daughter had the day off which is highly unusual because she usually works every Saturday.  She meandered into the living room and asked me if I wanted to go to town and check out the new Dirt Cheap store which really isn't new at all, but since I haven't been there yet, it would be new to me.

WHAT??  Go with HER?  NOW??

It's NOT that I didn't want to bond, but this was sooooooo spontaneous.  I don't do well with spontaneity.  Well, I do sometimes, if I purposely plan to.

Today was Saturday, the day I planned to play in my kitchen, on the computer, with my toes.  To get dressed and go to town would be a COMPLETE interruption to my rigid schedule. 

Besides, I home schooled her.  We have had LOTS of bonding time, believe me.

But, OF COURSE, I said I would go because I LOVE spending time with her, especially when I don't have to force HER to spend time with ME. 

So we rode to town, with VERY little make-up on I might add, and had some great conversation on the way.  We discussed things like:

1.  Which stores we would and wouldn't go into when we got to town because it was Saturday, and the stores would be crowded, and we live in a small town where you always see someone you know.  We would go in the Dollar stores but we would stay out of Wal-mart because neither of us looked good enough to see anyone, and everyone who is anyone is ALWAYS at Wal-Mart on Saturdays.

2.  How we both needed to shave our legs but her leg hair was definitely longer than mine.

3.  How very strange it felt for her to not be at work on a Saturday.

4.  How very strange it felt for me to not be in my kitchen on a Saturday.

5.  Why I didn't take the Dyess Bridge exit and instead went the long way by Wal-mart. 

As you can see, we had some really deep conversation.  And I could have missed it if I hadn't been flexible with my schedule.  Note to self:  be more flexible.

When we got to Fred's Dollar store, she started picking up some school supplies because she starts college next week.  This initiated a sharp discussion between us.

"I need some loose leaf paper because I am going to use a three-ring binder instead of spiral notebooks."

"Oh, we've got plenty of loose leaf paper at the house."

"No, we don't."

"Yes, we do."

"No, we do not."

"Yes, we do too."

"Mom, we DO NOT have any loose leaf paper at the house."

"How do you know?"

"Because I KNOW we don't."

"I KNOW THAT WE DO.  Well, I'm almost a 100 percent sure.  If we don't, there will still be time to get some before Thursday." 

"O-kaaaay.  WHATEVER." 

End of discussion.  We pick out our snacks and leave the store.

On the way home, the conversation gets really, really deep.

She tells me this story:  Several years ago, she was at a church youth get-together at someone's home and there was a particular boy there that she liked.  There was also a particular dog there that had an obvious tick that appeared to have been feeding on this poor dog's neck for sometime.  This particular boy didn't seem to like frilly, high-maintenance girls that scream at spiders or don't want to go mud-riding because it will mess up their hair.  She knew this well. 

Now, my daughter is all girl.  She likes clothes, hair, and make-up.  Jewelry and shoes.  Purses.  Highlights.  French manicures.  Brightly polished toenails.  And chocolate.  And the color pink.

This is my little precious right here:

Is she not the vision of all that is feminine?  But she does have a dark side...

To prove that she wasn't a frilly, high-maintenance girl, she casually, in front of this boy, pulled the tick off of the dog, with her bare fingers, to show him that there was more to her than blonde highlights. 

She was very, very complex.

My sweet, frilly, high-maintenance, pink lovin' girl touched a NASTY, BLOOD-SUCKING PARASITE!  I wish I could have seen that.  He must have been somewhat shocked.

I thought it was a brilliant move.  But it didn't work.

We had a good laugh about that one.

Then suddenly, our outing is over and we are home.  And she is off to do her own thing. 

She's gone...again.  And I'm sad and alone in my kitchen. 

But then I remember our conversation in Fred's and guess what I find in the back of a drawer...

So, like any good mother who wants to get the last word in, I attach a sticky note to it and lay it on her bed:

 

Seriously, all you parents out there make time for your girls and boys.  They will be better people for it and you will to.

 

Comments

[Lisa]

Love this one!!! I am very proud of you for being so flexible, I know this was HUGE for you.

[Zina]

Fabulous.

My (eight-year-old) daughter and I would totally have the argument about the paper. And I would totally be right.