Choices

We all have choices in life. Tonight, for example, I had some choices when I walked into the all-too-quiet-bathroom to check on Miss Mouse, who was supposed to be having her, um, "private bathroom time", and saw that she had plastered herself in Desitin. She had been diligent about the task, plastering fully her arms and legs.

I had choices at that moment.

I chose to turn right around, hide my grin, and call her Daddy to come clean her up. The last time she did this I was home alone. Sunny Baby Mouse is just too helpful in certain situations. We'll leave that at that.

So this time, Daddy got to clean up the girl while I chuckled in the living room.

I suppose I could have yelled at her. I could have given her a time-out. I could have shamed her. There was a time when I would have had to really fight myself not to do those things. But she knows the rules...It was past bedtime....She didn't have a nap today....She's been adjusting to Sunny Baby Mouse being a real-live-active person rather than a baby now which has been leading to some babyish behavior on the older Mouse's part. Excuses, I know, but also reasons for a three year old to be ridiculous.

I chose instead to let it go, although she did not see me laughing, will not hear me repeat the story, and, likely, will not do it again. It didn't really garner the attention she wanted.

As I reminded myself to chuckle instead of simmer, I thought about other choices. I contemplated finding the bottle of tequila we moved with us three and a half years ago. It was four years old at the time. Seven and a half year old tequila didn't seem like it was going to be much good with the frozen daiquiri mix that's sitting in my freezer. I thought about running around the block, waving my arms and shrieking or laughing. That choice just seemed like it would end up in an emergency room somewhere.

Rather, I decided to shred some zucchini that had been in the refrigerator far too long. Several pounds are now ready to be baked into bread tomorrow morning. Next on the agenda for the evening was getting the now-clean-Miss Mouse to bed. She chose a "trio" for her song tonight. She, Daddy, and I sang her choice of Children of the Heavenly Father. Final child-rearing task of the day: getting Sunny Baby Mouse to sleep. As a special treat, I allowed myself to doze with her breathing rhythmically, soundly asleep, on my lap.

I'll be up before morning, no doubt, to ease Sunny's teething pain yet again, but for today, all crises are ended or averted, the bathroom is clean, and the Desitin is going in the closet.