Anticipation

I am the type of mother that lies to her kids. But in a sense, we all lie, don’t we? We tell them there’s a Santa Claus and a Tooth Fairy. I go a step further and lie or omit details about BIG stuff. The two times we went to Disney, the girls didn’t know in advance. The last time we went, Sugar was 7 and Spice was almost three. We told them we were going to visit their grandpa in Alabama for Thanksgiving. We flew to Orlando, we walked through the Disney themed airport and they still didn’t know. I finally told Sugar I was concerned that she was missing some school and she should read the signs on the highway. Once they figured it out, immediate freak out. Spice cried and said, “Does that mean we get to be on TV?” Sugar was concerned that she wasn’t going to see her grandpa… thankfully they joined us in Orlando.

I do this for several reasons, both pretty selfish. First, I hate the endless nagging about when we’re leaving, are we there yet… It goes on and on. Second, I love surprising them. The expressions on their faces in Florida were priceless. What’s even better is that everyone knew where we were going and no one let the cat out of the bag. There's also a teensy part of me that worries that things will not work out in the end, and that I will have disappointed my girls. 

I have a few surprises cooking for them right now and it started nagging at the back of my mind today that I might be stealing something from them. I don’t let them anticipate a fun event… they don’t have the build-up that comes before a fun vacation or a dream come true.

I have a vacation planned for them at the end of April. We will be going to Myrtle Beach with my sister and her kids. They have absolutely no idea we’re going anywhere. EN has to deal with the union for vacation picks and he’s still “low man” even after ten years. That means he never gets time off when they are out of school. When my sister mentioned that she was considering Myrtle Beach I thought it would be a great opportunity to get away with the girls while having another adult along. They love my sister and their cousins so I know they will have a blast. And a week in a sunny place right on a beach?! Who wouldn’t adore that?

The second surprise is the puppy. Yes, I went and looked at her Friday and fell madly in love instantly. She snuggled up, buried her face in my shirt and went to sleep. OF COURSE I BOUGHT HER! I have a picture on Facebook and I showed it to the girls. I told them a friend of mine has puppies, call it “testing the water.” Immediately, they too fell in love with that sweet face and started begging for a new dog. I told them only crazy people have three dogs, what would we do with another dog? Sugar simply said, “We would love her.”

And that’s just it. For all the faults of any one of us in this crazy house, we all love and trust. We adore our families, teachers, friends, pets. We accept what is told to us and we believe whole-heartedly until we are proven otherwise. All four of us have a rose-colored view of the world. In many instances, this can lead to heartbreak and disappointment, but we always bounce back and go back to thinking the best of everyone.

We believe in ourselves and we believe in each other. Am I setting them up for disappointment when they get out into this great big world? Will they grow up always hoping that there’s a surprise coming? Am I stealing a piece of their childhoods by not letting them experience the growing excitement we feel before something big happens?

I am questioning the method to my madness.

xoxo

Ice Princess