I think most people out there expect my answer to be a resounding no. But it's not. It also isn't a yes. The world simply isn't black and white. I love my daughter. However there are times that I want to sell her to the neighbors so I can have a moment of peace and quiet between the hours of 6 am and 10 pm. Especially on the weekend since she's too young to understand the joy of languishing in bed past 6 am.
I really wanted to sell her during the latest bout of stomach flu. She was puking and having diarrhea, at the same time, in the middle of the night, in the middle of the hallway. Once she had expelled everything from her body and I'd cleaned up everything (her, her bed, my bed, the hallway, her room, the bathroom and the dog), I laid in bed with her while she drifted off to sleep. She was in my arms, stroking my cheek. Suddenly she said "Mama, I love these things on your face. They make you beautiful". I "umm hmm"d her while I thought "what things on my face".
As soon as she was asleep, I ran to the bathroom mirror to see what she was talking about. Had I forgotten to take off my makeup and I had mascara streaks from my tears at cleaning up vomit and diarrhea off every surface in our upstairs and the dog who came to investigate what was going on? Did I, god forbid, have vomit or diarrhea on my face? Or was it something else entirely? I looked in the mirror and rubbed at what appeared to be lines on my face. But they didn't go away. If anything, they became more pronounced. Yes, my daughter thinks my under eye wrinkles are beautiful. Now, I'm not opposed to them being beautiful. Maybe someday I'll even agree with her. However, I didn't even know I had them. And when I woke up the next morning, they were still there. I always knew that a daughter would likely tell me things I didn't want to hear. But I thought that wouldn't happen until at least 11 or 12, not almost 4.
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