We had a princess, bless us with her presence, at our T-ball baseball game last week. She was only three years old, and covering her jeans and t-shirt was a tattered blue Cinderella dress that appeared to be pulled from a dress up box. The perfect attire for her brother's game.
Instead of glass slippers, she wore pink canvas tennis shoes with bare feet tucked inside. She walked around on the grass, oblivious to her surroundings, beckoning for a trip to the snack bar for an Icee.
When her request was ignored, she forced her mother out of the chair she was sitting in and plopped down her small frame. She sat in a chair that was three times her size as her mom stood behind leaning on the back rest with her hands. Apparently embarrassed by her defeat.
"Why don't you get up so Mommy can sit down?" Her mother questioned.
"Addison's chair!" The princess replied.
"No, that is Mommy's chair and Addison is sitting in it."
The mom corrected her daughter's assumption hoping that the young girl would stand up and offer her the chair.
The little girl sat in the big chair, gripping the sides and swinging her feet up and down as her dress swung along with the motion of her tiny legs, happy to be subjecting her mother to standing for half of the baseball game.
I looked over at the woman and smiled, assuring her that I too had been in her exact position at one point or another, with a small child demanding the use of my things, or demanding a taste of my food, or demanding a space that I was occupying. I understood. I understood that the "giving in" was an escape from a potential attitude upheaval from a 2 year old princess and a major interruption from viewing a baseball game between boys ages 4 and 5.
"Addison always wants Mommy's things, right?" She asked the unyielding girl.
Her question was ignored.
I smiled again, and offered the small child a wipe so that she could pretend to clean Mommy's chair instead of sitting in Mommy's chair, she relented. She took the wipe from my hand and began wiping the back and sides of the chair while her mother sat. Finally.
The mom was happy to sit, the princess was happy to clean, and I was happy to help.
Next time I'll bring candy. Princesses love candy.
Instead of glass slippers, she wore pink canvas tennis shoes with bare feet tucked inside. She walked around on the grass, oblivious to her surroundings, beckoning for a trip to the snack bar for an Icee.
When her request was ignored, she forced her mother out of the chair she was sitting in and plopped down her small frame. She sat in a chair that was three times her size as her mom stood behind leaning on the back rest with her hands. Apparently embarrassed by her defeat.
"Why don't you get up so Mommy can sit down?" Her mother questioned.
"Addison's chair!" The princess replied.
"No, that is Mommy's chair and Addison is sitting in it."
The mom corrected her daughter's assumption hoping that the young girl would stand up and offer her the chair.
The little girl sat in the big chair, gripping the sides and swinging her feet up and down as her dress swung along with the motion of her tiny legs, happy to be subjecting her mother to standing for half of the baseball game.
I looked over at the woman and smiled, assuring her that I too had been in her exact position at one point or another, with a small child demanding the use of my things, or demanding a taste of my food, or demanding a space that I was occupying. I understood. I understood that the "giving in" was an escape from a potential attitude upheaval from a 2 year old princess and a major interruption from viewing a baseball game between boys ages 4 and 5.
"Addison always wants Mommy's things, right?" She asked the unyielding girl.
Her question was ignored.
I smiled again, and offered the small child a wipe so that she could pretend to clean Mommy's chair instead of sitting in Mommy's chair, she relented. She took the wipe from my hand and began wiping the back and sides of the chair while her mother sat. Finally.
The mom was happy to sit, the princess was happy to clean, and I was happy to help.
Next time I'll bring candy. Princesses love candy.
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