Tonna Canfield

After eating breakfast, my little girl says, “Mommy, will you watch this show with me?” I look at the breakfast dishes in the sink and then at her big brown eyes. “Okay,” I say, and we snuggle together on the couch and watch her favourite show. After the show, we put together

a puzzle and I head for the kitchen to wash those dirty dishes when the phone rings. “Hi,” my friend says, “What have you up to ?”

“Well,” I say, “watching my little one’s favourite show with her and putting together a puzzle.”

“Oh,” she says, “so you’re not busy today.” No, I think to myself, just busy making memories. After lunch, Erica says, “Mommy, please play a game with me.” Now I am looking at not only the breakfast dishes but also the lunch dishes piled in the sink. But again, I look at those big brown eyes and I remember how special it felt when my mom played games with me when I was a little girl.

“Sounds like fun,” I answer, “but just one game.” We play her favourite game, and I can tell she is delighting in every moment. When the game ends, she says, “Please read me a story.”

“Okay,” I say, “but just one.” After reading her favourite story, I head for the kitchen to tackle those dishes.

With the dishes now done, I start to fix supper. My willing little helper comes eagerly to the kitchen to help me with my task. I’m running behind and thinking about how much faster I could do this if my sweet little one would just go play or watch a video.