Feb
24
So Shines A Good Deed In A Weary World
by Leslie
Last week after piano class, Dave stayed home with Lucy and I took Julia to the mall to buy a dress for the upcoming Ribbon Festival. (Julia will be playing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star Variation C for judges who will critique her performance and give her a ribbon.)
I set a spending limit for the dress and her favorite one came in just under it. We were all set to buy it when she realized that we could get a matching dress for Lucy, if she chose one that was less expensive.
She stood at the rack a few moments holding her perfect dress tight against her chest, looking up at the cheaper options. Then she handed me the dress and said, “You can put this one back, Mom. I want to get one for me and Lucy.”
She chose a simple plaid dress with a scalloped neckline and a pink bow – one for her, and one for her sister.
On the way to the register, I hung her perfect dress back on its rack. Julia touched the skirt and looked up at it longingly. “That’s a real pretty dress, Mom.”
My heart broke a little. I wished so badly that I could let her have it, too.
“Are you sure you don’t want to get it instead?” I asked.
But she was happy with her decision.
Still, that didn’t stop me from stressing about it the whole car ride home. I imagined Julia in her modest little frock at the Ribbon Festival, standing among little girls in fancy dresses and feeling inadequate. I ran our budget numbers through my head, searching for extra money to go back and get her that dress. Was it responsible to set a limit and then blow it? By the time we pulled into the driveway, I’d pretty much convinced myself that I’d be going back to get that perfect dress.
When we got inside the house, Julia ran into the living room holding the bag of dresses high in the air shouting, “Lucy! Look what I got for us! Look! We’re going to match! Look at these beautiful dresses!”
And I realized that the perfect dress wasn’t the one she’d left behind, but the one she’d chosen.
Comments
20 Cool Kids Commented
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Is it ok that I’m in love with your kids? I love reading about them, especially since they’re girls and my life revolves around a little boy. The worlds of girls and boys seem totally separate.
You have a wonderful daughter. And great quote! I’ll miss the Easter round of Willy Wonka this year.
Ok. You just made me cry. That was so sweet of her.
This made me so teary. Lovely, lovely Julia! And living with hard choices is so good for kids, too.
And you’re back! Not the awful screen of earlier today…
STOP. WRITING. POSTS. THAT. MAKE. ME. WANT. TO. CRY.
Awwww….so sweet. My boys used to have a couple matching Hawaiian shirts. The little guy loved to match his older brother. Now that that older brother is twelve? Not so much.
Enjoy iy while you can.
Julia is one lovely and special little girl. That’s a story you’ll be able tell them in years to come. Just lovely
This is a reflection of great parenting, pure and simple. What a lovely little girl!
Oh that is just too sweet!
You’ve got some good girls!
Stephy
Oh jeez. Now I’m crying. Thanks for this touching post!
Actions like that reflect a job well done by hardworking parents! Kudos!
So sweet. You guys are raising wonderful children.
That is absolutely beautiful. Make sure you show us a picture of those two beautiful girls in their dresses!
Oh Leslie, that is about the sweetest thing that I have ever read. How precious that it was more important for her and her sister to match. We definately need to see a picture.
awww… what a great story and a great little girl!
Your kids are the coolest.
We’re supposed to be the teachers yet so frequently it’s the other way ’round, isn’t it?
That is the sweetest thing evah!!!
That actually made me cry a little! I am the exact same way, I would have been re-budgeting to get the fancy dress, but she definitely got the right dress.
[...] Julia and Lucy wore their special dresses. They were so cute, I couldn’t resist trucking them to a photo studio right after the festival to have their pictures taken by a professional. [...]