Well Done!

Being number two in the cosmic hierarchy of someone as enchanting as my daughter is pretty flattering, truth be told. Mommy is first, and that is as it should be. From time to time, though, and tonight was one of those times, Annalee wants to be with Da-da, even when Mommy is home. Tonight we watered a couple of plants together, one on the back porch and on on the front porch. When that was done we sat on the porch swing for a lazy, twenty-five-second ride. Then we sat on the front walkway and drew with our pavement chalk. "Do you want to go see Mommy," I asked, trying not to sound defensive. "No," she said. I'm quite confident that this was the first time this question was answered in such a way. I asked again, just to be sure. "No," she replied. Just as I was beginning to congratulate myself on being super-dad-o-rific enough to rival the great star in my baby's life I saw a familiar grimace on my princess's face. It's a look of stern concentration, moderate exertion, and flushing of the skin that accompanies only a single process in her life. So, yes, she wanted to spend a moment or two with Dad, but she also had a job to do. And I say, "Well done!"