On Wednesday morning the sun hovered just over the horizon as I sipped the first cup of coffee and pondered the question that had been plaguing me since I awoke.
“What in the world was I going to do with Scarlette?”
I realize this seems trivial but she had spent the day before basically scaling the walls. And I mean that literally on account of how she figured out how to do that thing that all kids eventually learn to do, where you brace yourself in a doorframe and then shimmy up it. And I was perfectly happy to let her amuse herself that way except that I had a deadline to meet and Scarlette clinging on to my office doorframe was not going to help that happen. We have kind of exhausted our summertime entertainment options around here, obviously.
So I did what any mom in my situation would do. I packed her into the car and drove to Chick-Fil-A, where they have free wi-fi, large vanilla iced coffees and a glass walled playground.
Our server was a friendly teenage boy wearing a crisp pink bow tie and a contagious smile that he kept flashing at Scarlette whenever he passed us.
Probably because she dressed herself that day.
Like this.
I could tell that she was taken with him because she kept trying to catch his eye and then would giggle hysterically every time he played Peek-A-Boo with her.
There were no other children for her to play with because of the early hour that I dragged her to said Chick-Fil-A and so I figured that she just had a healthy appreciation for his attentiveness.
(Which I understood because when she knocked over my entire drink and he appeared at the table like magic with extra napkins and a new cup of coffee I thought I might marry him myself.)
But later as he walked by carrying a tray, she cocked her head to the side coquettishly, pursed her lips and said “Hey. You’re my boyfriend. Yeah. My BOYFRIEND. You’re my FIRST boyfriend.”
And THEN she gazed up at him, smiled sweetly and asked “So. Do you fink you can handle dat?”
And I was all “YOU KNOW WHAT? I DON’T THINK HE CAN, SCARLETTE. I DON’T THINK HE CAN.”
And not even because of the age difference.
I don’t even know where she learned about boyfriends, except that she has been talking a lot about wanting to get married after her beloved Sunday School teacher’s recent wedding.
So basically, I blame the church.
When we pushed our way through the double doors on our way out she glanced up at me with her precocious little smile and said “So Mommy. I made my first BOYFRIEND today. What do you fink about dat?”
And to think I thought a 156 day NICU stay would be the hardest part of parenting this kid 😉
Enjoy more funny anecdotes in my new book, Anchored: Finding Hope in the Unexpected.
You can read the first chapter for free here and receive a free gift, the free GraceLaced Art print pictured here, as a thank you for investing in our story.
“I laughed, I cried, I turned pages (fast). Her nuanced and enjoyable story is beautifully uplifting for any stage of life.” – Sara Hagerty, author of Every Bitter Thing Is Sweet
