Down the Rabbit Hole

Most Mornings with a Three Year Old

Most mornings with my three year old are dominated by defiant stances in pink polka-dotted tights, barely eaten breakfasts and dramatic screams during hair-combing and styling sessions. Most mornings my little girl wakes with only one true desire…to challenge me at every turn. I battle over clothes, shoes, what can and can’t accompany her to school. She makes demands and launches sabotage attacks to delay our departure while I anxiously watch the clock. Somehow we manage to stumble out the door, both of us a little worse for wear than we should be. Most mornings. Oh… but then there comes that rare, blue moon of a morning where every moment seems as saturated by joy and mirth as any before. Jaden wakes up with smiles and kisses. She makes her way to the potty, kindly not throwing open my shower door but just waving at me through the glass, a blurry, happy vision in pink princess pajamas. She helps me feed the dogs, cleans up her books and toys, before I trip over them. She gladly accepts whatever outfit I have and dresses quickly instead of diving back beneath the covers to avoid me. She leans lovingly against me as I slip on her shoes. She even takes her drink cup downstairs and puts it in the sink for me without being asked. I make breakfast AND she eats it. We sit side by side, munching and talking and smiling, just me and my pint-sized buddy. The car ride is peaceful. The XM station crafted just for tykes like her delivers a steady stream of bouncy tunes and she sits, soundlessly singing in her dazzling purple diva sunglasses. When we arrive at the school and I reach in to help her out of her car seat, her little arms slip tightly about my neck, she presses her cheek to mine and I am suddenly and acutely saddened to part from her now. We walk hand in hand to her classroom. They are just starting to play dress-up and her friends all rush over to greet her. This morning she doesn’t cling, she doesn’t cry. She waves me off and joins her friends, digging into the wardrobe for something that sparkles and shines. Most mornings do not go this way…but today…this one did and I am immensely grateful.