The Umbrella

The umbrella is new to our family.  It is THE gift Rachel begged for an entire year prior to her 4th birthday.  Honestly, I didn't see any point in her having her very own umbrella.  We have enough stuff in our car which is packed with babies, the last thing we need is something else that needs to stay in the car.  Despite my thoughts on the matter, she was persistent in her wants.  Every time she saw an umbrella she reminded me of her wish to have her own.  Every time we went to a festival where she would see the cute little embroidered or painted, personalized umbrellas, she would once again remind me of her extreme need for her own umbrella.  So for her 4th birthday, Sarah and Hannah gave her an umbrella....with her name embroidered on it.  It was definitely her favorite gift.  She did not put it down for 5 days.  It laid beside her in the bed at night.  It sat beside her while she played.  It went to church with us, just in case it started raining.  It sat beside her when she ate, when she pottied, when she bathed....The umbrella was even more of an annoyance to me than I imagined it being!!  Not only did she carry it with her but she insisted on opening it often.  In the car was her favorite spot to hold her umbrella over her head. 
Thanksgiving break came allowing us to have a whole week of 'home days'.  My girls love 'home days'.  We stay in pjs and don't leave the house.  Yes, it is their most favorite kind of day.  So when reality returned the following school week.  Rachel was extremely upset to learn she had to go back to school.  We had a very hard time at the beginning of the school year with her not wanting to go and crying every night before a school day and every morning when we dropped her off.  We were over this hard time, until a week of not going to school.  This school morning was not good.  She woke up very upset and crying because she didn't want to go to school.  After much talking, encouraging, hugging and then just being the tough mommy and saying, 'you got to go', she realized it was raining outside.  'It's raining', she says.  'Yes, it's raining, you probably won't be playing outside today,' I said thinking this crying episode is about to get worse because her favorite thing about school is definitely playing outside.  'It's raining, I get to take my umbrella to school!'  Crying ceased, smile from ear to ear appeared and she was dressed and ready in no time.  An umbrella was the answer.  She got to carry her very own umbrella to school....one with her name on it.  And that is what makes a little girl happy.  It's the little things.  It's the details.  I like The Umbrella.

Back to the not wanting to go to school.  It's not that she doesn't like going to school.  She actually LOVES it once she's there.  She is always smiling and talking my ear off when I pick her up.  It's just that her favorite spot on earth is at home in her jammies, with her toys and freedom.  She is a free spirit.  She loves free play.  The girl has got an imagination, as does her sister Sarah.  But that's another blog, for another day...