twinkle lights

February 1st, 2013

twinkle-lightsMy daughter asked me to hang twinkle lights in her room. I plug them in when she’s not home, reminding me that she’s my favorite room and my favorite holiday, too.

My daughter asked if I would pop her jacket into the dryer every morning before she put it on so it would be warm for the five-minute drive to school. I told her that I would wake early to light a tiny fire by rubbing toothpicks until my knuckles bled so I could warm the toes of her plush slipper socks before her bare feet could reach the floor.

My daughter asked me not to touch her butt when I jostled her awake in the morning because “That’s just weird.” I told her that I would drive from sundown to sunup like a madwoman wearing diapers so I could reach a high bluff over Tingle, New Mexico and send silent thought waves to her subconscious suggesting that she rise and shine.

My daughter asked if I could pack her a “normal” lunch for a change because all her friends have chips and candy bars every day and she’s the only one with boring healthy food. I told her no.

This beautiful photo is by Ivy at Grace & Ivy. It captures my true feelings.

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19 Comments »

  1. You’re so mean and impossible. 🙂

    Comment by Elizabeth Aquino — February 1, 2013 @ 8:22 pm

  2. This is amazing!

    Comment by Ranya — February 2, 2013 @ 1:23 am

  3. You go, Maezen! My feelings exactly!

    Comment by Aparna — February 2, 2013 @ 4:58 am

  4. My youngest daughter is 25 and just moved out from our family home and bought her own condo. Her Dad hung twinkle lights in her sunroom and over her fireplace, that come on every night!

    She never got chips or chocolate bars in her lunch either! But she did get her PJs put in the dryer before she put them on at night.

    Comment by Shawn — February 2, 2013 @ 5:30 am

  5. Thanks for a great Saturday morning laugh.

    Comment by Dawn Downey — February 2, 2013 @ 7:33 am

  6. Just two words to remember: not always so.

    Comment by Chris — February 2, 2013 @ 7:50 am

  7. absolutely LOVE!

    Comment by carrie — February 2, 2013 @ 7:55 am

  8. Maybe the only guy who gets this feed (granted, an old one, who sits a lot) says, “Right on” to this post.

    Comment by Ray Watkins — February 2, 2013 @ 7:58 am

  9. I promise you’re not the only guy who gets it. You’re the only guy who admits it.

    Comment by Karen Maezen Miller — February 2, 2013 @ 8:01 am

  10. Some people confuse giving love with giving sugar.
    Just like some women confuse love with diamonds.
    Tomorrow I am going to use my inline skates again and practice, so I can teach our daughter to skate on her schooltrip to the icerink next week.
    Have a wonderful day.

    Comment by Simone — February 2, 2013 @ 9:15 am

  11. love boundaries

    Comment by MJ — February 2, 2013 @ 9:55 am

  12. I love this!

    Comment by marilee pittman — February 2, 2013 @ 10:57 am

  13. Love. I agree with every word. xox

    Comment by Lindsey — February 2, 2013 @ 12:47 pm

  14. hahahaha

    Comment by Emily — February 2, 2013 @ 1:54 pm

  15. This post pops up in mind a few times a day since I read it. I had no idea where you were going to take it…and then you just hit a home run.
    Still smiling!!

    Comment by Erin Wheatley — February 3, 2013 @ 11:32 am

  16. oh god this is beautiful!

    Comment by Colleen — February 3, 2013 @ 12:58 pm

  17. Beautifully written.

    This reminds me of a conversation I had about eye rolling and saying ‘duh’ with my 7 year old yesterday.
    It felt like a perfect balance of light mockery/respect/disrespect on both sides. I love when that happens.

    Comment by Lieve — February 4, 2013 @ 3:55 am

  18. Again, thanks for sharing.
    Is there a better way to care for your child than by providing “boring healthy food”? I don’t think so 🙂

    Comment by Paul Brennan — February 5, 2013 @ 10:16 am

  19. I see a lovely children’s book here!

    Comment by Alex — February 6, 2013 @ 11:43 pm

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