The long way home

-Mama, you came!!! she yells in the happiest voice, as she does each time I pick her up from the kindergarten. I don’t think there is a single person in that building that doesn’t know when I arrive.

-Yes my love, I came! let’s get you dress.

In 5 minutes she is all dressed up and ready to go. She starts telling me about all the activity and fun she had today. After we go out the gate, she looks in the street and she asks:

-Where is your car? This is not your car, nor is the other one. Where is it?

-I walked here, we will walk home today, I answer.

-No, no walking! What have we talked about? What did we say? That you come to pick me up by car!

-When did we said that? Why didn’t you tell me in the morning, when you left, that you want me to bring the car?

-You should have known! You are supposed to bring me and pick me up in your car! That was the deal!

-Daddy brings you in the morning and I take you. That is our deal. From now on, if you want me to come with the car, you tell me that! Today we walk home.

Something had upset her and now she is looking for a reason to lay all her frustrations on me.

-But I don’t want to walk! I will walk and I will get upset, very upset! And then, when I get so upset, I will cry! And I will yell at you! And then I will apologised, but only after you will wipe all my tears! OK? Alright? And when we get home, after I take off my shoes and my clothes and I wash my hands, I will watch cartoons, ok? Until you say Enough! Look, I am calm now. I’m sorry I was grumbling and grumpy. I get so sometime. And you get too. But then we are best friends again, right? We are the best friends in the hole wide world! And daddy is our friend too. When does he come home? Call him, I want to talk to him, tell him to come home, I want to play with him. Come on, call him, will you call him, please? Mammy, why don’t you say anything? Are you mad? Say something please!

-I would say something baby, but I don’t know what. And you have been talking for the last 5 minutes, I waited for you to finish.

-I talk a lot because I like to talk mama! I am a talker! Look, we arrived already! It was a shorter walk today. Isn’t it so, mammy?

No, is not, is the same road we always take, but I don’t answer to her. She wants to do all the talking, not me. Me, I’m just listening…