What a Girl Wants

Tuesday

Apr262016

If the sun is shining, the birds are singing, and Alexis is dancing, Mila and I are at the playground. We started going the second daylight decided to stick around past the dinner hour. We've kept it up twice per week since, weather permitting.

Mila, of course, thinks this is the greatest arrangement ever. She starts squealing, "Playground!" the second Alexis gets out of the car at the dance studio. When we get to the playground, she quickly toddles her way from the car to the slides then toddles her way to the swings then back again. Up, down, weeee! Over and over.

My current favorite thing about our playground time is that Mila has figured out that swinging is extra fun if you lean back and look up. A giant grin spreads across her face as the wind whips through her hair. It's pretty much the best.

Of course, all good things must come to an end. For the most part, if I warn Mila that this time down the slide is the last time, she cooperates. We say, "Buh-bye, slide" then go back to the car so that we can retrieve the big sister.

Yesterday, though. Hooboy.

Yesterday was a day that didn't go quite right. There was no sweet litle "buh-bye, slide" and no cooperative walk back to the car. Instead, Mila tried to run away about a zillion times before I finally drug her back to the car. I had to basically pin her down to get her seatbelt buckled, which ... so fun. Or possibly the opposite of fun.

Yes, the opposite of fun.

Through the tears and sobbing, Mila cried out for a return to the playground. She wouldn't stop and wouldn't stop and eventually I grew frustrated. It was time to make like Elsa and let it go, so I asked, "What do you want, Mila?" in the hope that the question would stump her into silence.

It worked.

For a moment, anyway.

After some quiet though, Mila found the answer she was seeking. "Want cock-corn," she said.

That's popcorn, for what it's worth. And, yes, I laugh every single time she says it because I am a mature adult. To make it even better, that dash represents a looooooong pause. It's like she instantly remembers the first half of the word, but the second half hides from her for a long 5 seconds.

There was no reason for Mila to be asking for popcorn. It's not like I had some in the car, or in my pocket, or hiding in the trunk. There was no popcorn. None. Yet, Mila was convinced that I should find some IMMEDIATELY.

She yelled "WANT COCK-CORN!" the whole way home. 20 minutes.

Let the record show, I laughed every time she said it and yet I didn't wreck the car. I think that means I deserve some popcorn.