The Big Victories

I would like to thank the universe for sending me a sign that the long game is going more or less okay, even as I screw up the short game. I need those reminders, you know?

It started with my screw up. I had exactly one thing I had to get right last Friday, and that was to leave work directly after a meeting and jet my way SUPER fast to Mila's school for her so-called Christmas Show. She had memorized a few lines of a poem and was prepared to sing a few songs. All I had to do was show up on time.

I didn't leave directly after the meeting. There were reasons, of course, but none of them were as important as the tiny little girl who was counting on me. The good news is that it wasn't a complete fail. I showed up about five minutes late. It was just late enough for Mila to be visibly nervous that no adult was coming to watch her, but in time that I didn't miss anything. I managed to get a hug from the Tiny Human, take a seat at the very back of the room, and watch the most adorable of adorable holiday presentations.

Mila is the cutest kid in her class. Just saying.

While it wasn't a complete fail, it was enough of a fail to make me all sorts of sulky for the rest of the day, but fortunately Alexis came home and handed me a long-game victory.

The Big Kid came home frustrated with her friends. She adores them muchly, of course, but, like any normal human, sometimes she finds herself annoyed at things the people she adores do. In this case, a couple of her friends had spent entirely too much time talking about how they are too fat. Normally I think my job in these sorts of situations is to listen and not comment, but this time I asked a couple of questions.

The long-of-the-short is that two of Alexis' friends, both of whom are no bigger than Alexis is, swear they need to be on a crazy diet and exercise constantly because they are convinced that they are "fat cows." Of course they aren't, a fact which Alexis fully realizes. We talked about where that self-image may have came from and then Alexis handed me a little happiness in one sentence, "Thank goodness you never talk about your weight. They are just like their moms. It's so dumb."

For what it's worth, I agree with Jameela Jamil. I believe in just not thinking about your body and everything she has said about that. I've tried to pass those beliefs onto both girls, and I guess it's working? At least with one of them?

And then Alexis outdid anything I could have taught her. She said something about how it's dumb when people point out something about your body that you can't change in "like two seconds." For example, she doesn't mind when people tell her that her hair is frizzy or she has something in her teeth because she can do something about that. But, the friend who told her she has a big nose? That gets an eye roll and a "Why would anyone even say that?" She gave a bunch of examples of what she thinks it's okay to comment on and when you should keep your words to yourself and HOT DAMN, THAT KID IS GOING TO BE OKAY.

As much as I hope to win the short game more often than I do, I'll take those long game victories. They're pretty sweet.