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Into The Wild: Installment 3 (The End is Near)
Mom and Dad are really starting to miss our little angel. We both get home from work this evening and all that we talk about is that we both have gone from enjoying the spare time that we have had to wondering if GG has fled the country with our baby. We scarf dinner down so that we can jump on Skype with M to see how her day went (and to see if she shows any sign that she recognizes her birth parents).
First things first; I must congratulate Skype, or the operators of our respective computers for a first attempt connection this evening. So, we make the connection and after a several minutes of looking at the ceiling in GG’s house, we actually see M’s adorable face. The adorable face that is burned into our memories is not exactly what we were met with this evening on the computer, but under the greasy hair and yogurt-caked face we see our little baby. Both GG & M look equally zombie-like to their appearances last night, but something else is different tonight.
Our normally untamed spirit of a daughter is looking sulky and is kind of quiet. We tell her that we miss her and she is quick to tell us that she misses us too in a whiney, tired voice. This statement is followed by a hug…yes, she actually hugged the computer. It was the sweetest thing that she has done since she has been away from us. Mom and I exchanged tear-filled glances knowing that out daughter’s time at Club GG is nearing an end.
We are regaled with the tale of today’s adventures mostly by GG as M lie quietly on the sofa. Our little zombie must have just fed on some fresh brain (which has the same effect on a zombie as turkey does on a live human) because she was beat. GG spells out that M is, “M-I-S-S-I-N-G Y-O-U” and our hearts melt. In a wierd way, we feel loved by the daughter that so quickly abandoned us and hurled potty names at us just last night. Speaking of potty name-calling, you will be happy to know that M decided not to insult her dear parents tonight. I don’t know about you, but we are thinking that the end is near.
Of course, we are taking her lapse of love to be merely tiredness for the time being because we have been burned by this bluff before. We will see how M feels in the morning when she awakens to a full schedule of swimming, shopping, or raiding third world countries for their jobs (see Installment 2 https://genericdad.com/2010/06/14/into-the-wild-installment-2/) We have the eerie suspicion that we will be having bathroom insults hurled at us by day’s end tomorrow. Stay tuned…
Into The Wild: Installment 1
Our three-year-old daughter’s adventurous spirit has been well documented within the pages of this blog. From her finicky diet to her affinity for her birthday suit, we have tried to nurture, if not sometimes corral her spirit. This weekend M adds a new page to her short, but accomplished adventure resume. She ventures into the wild.
A couple of months ago we decided that we would let M go stay a week with her GG (the wife’s mother) at her house at Lake Conroe. As you know, M is only three and we like to think that she is rather dependent on her parents still, but we figure why not give it a shot. GG is all for the idea and agrees to bring M back at any point during the week in if/when she misses her parents so badly that she can’t stand to be away any longer.
D-Day was yesterday. We drove M down to Conroe as if it were a typical weekend trip. We have been talking to her about staying with GG for several weeks now and she has been hot and cold on the idea. Some days she is all for it, while others she expresses that she does not want to be away from Mommy and Daddy. We are worried about when we go to leave and she realizes that she is not going with us. Will she fling herself onto the hood of the car? Will she lie in the driveway behind the car so that we cannot leave?
That moment came this morning. I pack up the car, load up little B and we go to tell M that we are leaving…without her. Expecting the worst, we give hugs and kisses and wait for it to sink in that we are leaving her. Apparently, she has dealt with this and is moving on because she shows no sign of distress over the fact that her parents are leaving her. In fact, all that she was worried about was when GG was going to take her to play on the beach. The wife and I are taken aback to say the least. We are starting to feel like the parents of Christopher McCandless and our daughter is going off the grid, and into the wild…
I think that we have convinced ourselves that M is going to freak out and want to come home with us. When she not only wants to stay, but does not really care that we are leaving, no is wanting us to leave so that she can go play in the sand, we end up the ones that are upset. Our parent-egos have taken a direct hit.
We drive home without our little adventurer and the conversation is mostly about taking wagers on how long she will last before she wants to come home. We both agree that she will last one or two days at most and then GG will be bringing her home Tuesday or so. Of course, after our Skype conversation with M this evening, we may be changing the betting lines. She is so uninterested in talking to us this evening that our parent-egos are practically reduced to rubble. We are expecting her to be saddened by coming to the realization that Mommy and Daddy are not going to be there tonight, or in the morning. What do we get? “Good night Mommy Potty, good night Daddy Poop!” Are you kidding me? This kid is happy that we are out of the picture! I feel like the parent of a Menendez brother. Should I be looking over my shoulder for a hitman?
After that Skype call I reopen the betting windows and the over/under is looking more like Thursday or Friday now, if she even wants to come home…Stay tuned for a daily installment on the progress of M’s 1st adventure away from home. How will she deal with the homesickness? Will she set out on foot to get back to her beloved parents? Will she disown her parents for a life of lakeside living? Will her parents crack before she does? Place your bets!
Generic Dad 