Digging a Ditch

Quite a few weeks ago now, we had ordered some pizza at Costco to take to Josh’s parents house before painting more than two dozen eggs for Easter. We had enough time, so I went to this little kid clothes store while Josh took the manly route and went to a surplus. The store was having a blowout sale, so I was doing some stocking up on skirts, dresses, tank tops, and flip flops (“Not flip flops MOM, they’re chanklas!”) for summer.

Olivia spies a swimsuit she wants. It’s the one thing we don’t need for summer since she already has two new swimsuits from relatives and also fits in Bea’s hand me downs – about 3 of them. She didn’t need another one. There was a play area in this store, so the girls wandered over there and Olivia told me to “hold the swimsuit, please”. And then they played and I went to the check out. I didn’t get the swimsuit for her.

When we were walking back to pick up the pizza from Costco, Olivia says she wants to hold her swimsuit. That’s when I say I didn’t get the swimsuit. And she looks mortified. But, she doesn’t believe me for some reason and asks to have it again when we get to Josh’s parents. I tell her the same thing. She just looks confused.

The next day she asks for her new swimsuit, and I don’t know what happened, but I told her we left it at grandma’s and that she could get it the next time she’s there. I figured it was likely that she would forget. I didn’t remember that I was dealing with Ms. Fashionista** and that she might never forget any item of clothing that was hers. And she hasn’t – even after three weeks now. Every time she mentions that swimsuit being at grandma’s and how she is going to get it the next time she is there, I kind of do an under the breath “mmm hmmm” knowing full well that there is no new swimsuit there for her.

I should never have said that to her because those kids, I swear they remember everything you tell them now. You can never make promises and not follow through. And you sure has hell can’t say that some treasured item that child thought you bought them is at grandmas. It looks like I am going to have to make a cheap swimsuit purchase in the next couple of days because the girls are headed there this weekend. Why couldn’t she just believe me when I told her that I didn’t get it? That’s right...they only hear what they want to hear.


**Ms. Fashionista in an oldie, but goodie, photo last July. Notice the paisley pants paired with the tie-dyed shorts, and the shirt with stars with a blue jacket with butterflies. Who said that you couldn’t put a print together with a print with yet another print? Olivia makes her own rules, and no one challenges them.