“Call me a rock.”
Little Miss Sunshine loves bathtime. No matter her mood, a bath will settle her down. Her already high little-girl voice raises an octave as she softly murmurs a dialog between her mermaid toys: i’m a good swimmer i can swim fast too flounder don’t be such a guppy let’s swim to the cove today i’d like to come along but watch out for that shark he’s hungry.
Eventually, after many warnings, I pull the plug. She sighs and gets out of the tub.
“Call me a rock,” she says, curling up in a ball on the bathmat, completely hidden by her towel.
That’s my cue to start my lines in her little play. Any protests that I am too tired or it’s too late or I just don’t feel like it today, not after doing the same thing for the past 100 days, are just met with louder and louder demands to be called a rock. “CALL ME A ROCK,” she calls from her hiding place, as if my protests mean I have gone deaf.
Here’s my part: “Oh, look, such a lovely rock! It’s so big and pretty, all covered with flowers. I’d love to take it home to my garden. I’ll just pick it up…oh that’s funny. It’s all lumpy…here…and here…and here [insert some giggling]…why, this isn’t a rock at all!”
Little Miss Sunshine peeks out. “Meow?”
Me: “Ooooh, it’s a little kitty! A wee white kitty, hiding under a blanket! She is so cute and soft! What is your name, kitty?”
Her, very high and squeaky: “Marie.”
Me: “And do you have a famiy, Marie?”
Her: shakes her head forlornly
Me: “Would you like to come home and live with me? I would love you forever. I have a nice room where you can sleep and a little stuffed bear that will be your special friend.”
Her: nodding happily and jumping into my lap “Meow!”
She is the director, and I am just a player on her stage. She’ll decide when we have enough takes of Call Me A Rock.
[This post is part of Brie’s series called Monday Moments – her prompt for this Monday was “hiding.” It’s not Monday. Better late than never?]
TurtleHead 
love it.
oh I love it! so sweet!
So super cute!! Love it 🙂
Aren’t we all just players in the dramas they direct. 🙂
Love this moment. And I’m so happy you joined in!
My all-time favourite thing used to be sitting in the armchair in my room listening to Eve spin her little stories in the bathtub in my bathroom. One of the best ended with “Mommy, I love swimming!” “Well duh, we’re mermaids.” And Angus had this thing we had to do when he was going to bed every night that began with “The man closed the door, then the man opened the door, then the man came in the house”, whether I felt like it or not. And now of course I miss it.
That’s so cute! I love when they do things like that.
Leah used to hide under her covers at bedtime and I had to ‘sit’ on her and then jump up and exclaim, “What a lumpy bed! Why this bed is too lumpy for anyone to sleep in. I’d better bounce on the lump and see if I can flatten it out.” And then I’d press on her back and bounce her up and down until she’d laugh and then throw off the covers and yell, “It’s not a lump. It’s me!!!”
I’d forgotten all about that. Thanks for reminding me.