Pink Stroller

The bags of cash that we pile on the steps of Sarah's daycare every month ("Please accept our measly offering and care for our child. Next month, we'll skip a few more meals and deliver a barrel or two of crude oil. Maybe the kids can take care of the refining process after their nap. Just please, don't make us go back out in search of another daycare. Or worse, go back to a life with a toddler living full-time in our midst. We're at your mercy. Name your price. We have silver fillings in our teeth - consider them yours.") has been money well spent. Valuable skills have been imparted to our daughter. Chief among them is assertiveness.

If there is a toy that Sarah would like to play with, she feels comfortable enough with herself now to waddle over to the toy and take it, and if someone gets knocked over in the process, well, someone should have let go of the toy sooner.

It seems that the toy that brings out Sarah's newly developed skill most often is a pink umbrella doll stroller. All of the little girls in her daycare (did I mention that out of 12 kids in the center 11 are girls?) seem to also be drawn to this toy. The tugging and screaming over this stroller is unreal. Since I can't let my kid lose or (heaven forbid!) learn to share, I went out and got her a pink umbrella doll stroller of her very own. Now, she can practice snatching the stroller whenever the urge strikes or when she gets hungry ("You want a snack? Mama will give you this yummy cracker that's right here in the stroller if you can take the stroller away from mama. Come on. Show mama you're hungry! Pull!!!")



After watching her play with it for a while, I was getting a little concerned. She seemed content to just push it around the yard. She wasn't making truck noises or crashing it into things (except Sancho's little toes, but that doesn't count). Maybe this was the first sign that I might have a girly-girl on my hands. I panicked. What will I do when she asks me about mascara (waterproof, smudge-proof, long-lasting, lengthening, tearproof, washable?). Or, the proper time to wear white shoes (before labor day? after labor day? should they match your belt? should the belt match your lipstick?). I got a small rash.



Thankfully, my worries were calmed when she drove the little stroller over to the nearest balls.






Yes! This is only a vehicle for her sports equipment.



Oh, sweet Sarah, I'm so proud of you. Next week, I'll teach you how to pull hair effectively.