despite how this post may make me sound. But I had to share.
Please keep in mind during this story that at no time was my daughter badly hurt, and that I care for her more than anything on Earth.
I was sitting at the kitchen table today coloring and cutting out a "folder game" for Gabriella"s preschool teacher. Gabriella and Little Man had been sitting at their little table near me coloring, but had since ran off to play. All of a sudden Gabriella was at my side, stammering to tell me something.
She was upset, and wasn't getting her words out well, so it took me a minute to realize that she was hurt. She was putting on such a brave face, but as her words finally came out so did the tears.
"Alex sharpened my finger!"
author's note: I'm not buying for a second that her little brother forced her finger into the pencil sharpener. She's in this phase (that lasts what... 16 more years?) where she blames everything that might come with a punishment or negative reaction on her brother. Also, for any of you who are concerned about such a thing, this was a child's manual pencil sharpener, and not a big fancy electric one – thank goodness!)
I pulled her up into my lap and wiped away the crocodile tears running down her cheeks. I checked the finger (no more blood than a paper cut would cause) and then pressed her little head against me. As she sobbed and I comforted her, I looked down at my precious girl, checked to be sure she wasn’t looking at me and then let out a big, although silent laugh!!
I'm sorry. I do care very much about her. I feel terrible that she was hurt, and am thankful that it wasn't badly, and all is well now, but there was something about her statement that was so funny!! She tried to sharpen her finger!!!
So now I can add that to my list of failures as a mother: I neglected to teach my children NOT to sharpen their fingers to points with a pencil sharpener.
