The Garlic Farm
So this summer, my daughter went through a phase where she DESPERATLY wanted a pet. I mean beggin and pleading every day. She didn't know Doug and I were discussing some options, but wanted to get the move and the new school year underway before we made any decision (who would have guessed that the perfect dog would find us?) So we did the big parent thing and said "NO!" In order to rebel, Anastacia started making up all sorts of "pets." I would be walking around the house and all of the sudden be attacked by a frantic five year old:
"No Mommy No! Don't use THAT klennex, it's my new pet!"
"Mommy, that's my pet pillow, you can't lay on fluffy!"
"I can't wear my shoes, they are my pets!"
One such "pet" sighting occured at the grocery store. I was picking up stuff to make dinner, and grabbed a head of garlic. She wanted to hold it, so I let her. Big mistake. Before I new it, the garlic was her "pet" and she carried it around the house with her for several days. They watched TV together, it sat on the counter while she took her bath, she read books to it. It was all a bit disturbing. But like anything else, she moved on and I didn't think anything of it.
Flash forward to last night, I was making dinner while Princess was working on homework at the table, when she asked what I was doing. "Adding garlic to this pan".... suddenly she bursts into tears "I miss my pet garlic!!!!" After a few min. I was still unable to calm her down. She wanted to know what I had done with the garlic, I assured her that no I did not cook her *cough-cough*..... and thinking fast on my feet I told her I sent her pet to live on the garlic farm. I know, I know, you shouldn't lie to your kids, but the tears were streaming down her face and I had a weak moment.
And it was a bad idea too, since she then started crying again and wanting to know when we could visit the pet garlic at the mythical garlic farm.... ummm, come on mommy, think..... "I'm sorry but they don't allow visiters, but maybe we can write them a letter and ask if your garlic can come home for a visit?" I can send a head of garlic through the mail, right? And writting the letter would be a good activity for her.... but she is super-smart and countered (still with tears flooding her face, shaking with grief) "But mommy, letters take a long time to go through the mail, and what if the mail-man puts takes my letter to the wrong garlic farm, and I get one that ISN'T MY pet?!?!?!?!?!"
So I decided to call "the garlic farm" aka grandma-in-disguise and explained that I know we had sent the garlic to live on the farm, but that we made a mistake and would realy realy realy like it if the garlic came back for a visit. So today my Mother-in-law is heading to the grocery store to buy a head of garlic to send in a box to Anastacia. Anastacia also wanted me to verify that the garlic farm had placed a sign in front of the garlic so they would know which one to send so that !Quelle Horreur! she dosn't receive the WRONG one!!!!! So now I"m going to write a letter to Anastacia from the garlic farm to include with the head of garlic.... should be an interesting day.