If Only I Had Magic

N is increasingly independent in the mornings. These days she gets dressed, brushes her hair and teeth, takes vitamins and checks her backpack for its essentials pretty much on her own. This morning our paths crossed in the front hall. She was fully-dressed in butterfly pants and a flowered shirt.

I let out an involuntary "Oh, my!" before qualifying it with "you're all about the patterns this morning."

"Yes," she said proudly. "It's butterflies and flowers."

"Yes, it is. It sure is."I contemplated how hard it might be to adhere a MOM DID NOT DRESS ME TODAY note to her back.

"See the butterflies are flying to the flowers to pollinate them," she squinted up her whole face making sure the words were exact. "If only I had magic. I'd tap the butterflies and have them fly in a swirl to the flowers."


Her finger traced the swirling flight path of just one butterfly to a flower's stigmata. With a narrative like that the folks at school can hardly doubt this was an independent, and magical venture she was on. Darn it, because, suddenly I wanted in on that action.