During my recent business trip to California I bought K some new underwear. Her old ones were getting a bit small and in some cases, er, tatty.So I bought her a 6-pack of princess underwear and a 6-pack of brightly colored underwear with frogs on them.
Although L usually inherits K's old clothes - which also extends to undergarments, while I can still get away with it - I also threw in a small 3-pack of Little Mermaid underwear for her.
K LOVES her new underwear. Every morning and after school she lines them all out lovingly on the floor, admires them, caresses them, talks about them, wears them on her head and tries to decide which gleaming new pair she likes best.
She even invented a memory game with them, where she puts them upside down and you have to guess which princess or frog is on the back.
I guess it's been a while since she had new underwear.
She was so excited about them that I worried about L's reaction when she got her measly 3 pairs. But my youngest baby was surprisingly OK with with her 3 pairs and seemed pleased and touched that she got any new underwear at all.
But what really made L happy was when I presented her with all of K's old underwear. Even the tatty ones. She did a little jig of delight around her new pile of old underwear.
I sense that somewhere in there there's a lesson for all of us but I can't quite find the right words. I keep coming up with cynical stuff like, 'It's not the quality, it's the quantity,' and 'All you need is old underwear.'
But I think there's a deeper lesson here about being happy with what you have.
Any suggestions?
And Kristina, I'll let you know how that college thing pans out.
I hope this isn't some type of foreshadowing that when she gets into college, she will be supporting her schooling by taking off her underwear for money.
ReplyDeleteUmmmmm, please ignore that previous comment. It was inappropriate. Unless it's accurate. Please call me in 20 years and let me know if I am right.
ReplyDeletehmmm. I don't know. Maybe she is going to grow up to incite reform by bra burnings? Oh, wait--someone already did that...
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. It's all a matter of being happy with what you have and living in the moment. I hope she never loses this!
ReplyDeleteOh my... I couldn't help but laugh at her caressing her underpants and playing a game with them, how incredibly cute is that!?! You're right, there is a deeper lesson, isn't there?
ReplyDeleteThere is definitely something profound going on here. When you figure it out, let me know...
ReplyDeleteIn two words: lowered expectations. This concept works remarkably well for me and my family.
ReplyDeleteTake tonight, for example. I made lasagna for the first time, with the pizza people's phone # programmed for speed dial. Brace yourselves, people, I told them. You must have no expectations. Much to everyone's surprise, the project turned was edible and we all danced a jig.
Lowered expectations, I say. Works like a charm.
I barely have to buy my kid clothes b/c I get them from my niece. When my kid grows out of them, they all go to my neighbor's kid and if they are still okay, they go across the street to another little girl.
ReplyDeleteI think, for me, it's a sense of community. I sense of sharing, a connection, if you will. It's me knowing that we are reducing our carbon footprint on the world and hopefully making it somewhat better for our children's future
I got the same reaction from my girls recently over a brown paper sack of slightly used socks from their grandmother.
ReplyDeleteLike you said, I'm going to relish this while I can get away with it. We should all be so easily amused. Oh, wait, maybe I am.
'tatty' is a fun word. And that was a sweet story.