Delia expresses a sense of umbrage

[pegkerr]

It was really a crazy day for me. I got up this morning and drove to Edina to take pictures of the belt tests at the dojo there. Came home, checked in with Delia (Fiona was over at her friend Corwyn's house because they're working on their presentation for the National History Day state competition, which takes place next weekend). Drove to the Rivendell meeting, where I delivered my paper on Heart of Flesh/Heart of Stone; it was well received. Rushed home, drove to Corwin's and picked Fiona up, and then the girls and I drove to cakmpls for the Minn-stf (mnstf) meeting. It was fun, the chili was good, and I would have liked to have stayed longer, but my cat allergy flared up, making my contact lens unbearable, so the girls and I had to go home so I could take the lens out.

Fiona asked me to drive her back to Corwyn's so they could continue practicing, and I got ready to go the the Cedar Cultural Center to see the Peter Mayer concert I'd been looking forward to all week. Rob was scheduled to work till close.

Delia, however, began looking very forlorn. "But that means I'll be alone again," she said. "Fiona and Daddy and you were all gone when I got up this morning, and I spent the morning and most of the afternoon all alone, too. I don't want to be alone tonight, too."

"Oh dear. I didn't really plan on this. I wasn't counting on you being home alone tonight; I thought Fiona would be here, too." I went down and privately asked Fiona whether Corwyn could come over and they could work on their presentation here. "But all our props are at Corwyn's," Fiona objected. "And the computer with the script is over there, and Nate (Corwyn's stepdad) was going to work on it with us. Over there." She looked at me pleadingly. "We really really really need to work on it tonight."

"Damn." I sighed. "And I really, really, really want to go to this concert." I went back upstairs and broke the news to Delia, who looked crushed. I think she felt so tuckered out from the screening yesterday that she felt extra vulnerable.

I drove Fiona to Corwyn's (Rob would pick her up again on his way home from work). I came back to give Delia an extra ten minutes of cuddling before I left for the Cedar Cultural Center, hoping it would help. "Could you go next door to play with Olivia?"

"No, I already checked," Delia said tragically. "Olivia's home alone, too, and she can't have anyone over when she's home alone."

I floundered for something comforting to say, feeling like the world's most neglectful mother. "Maybe you could read that fanfic story, the one I sent you the link for--it would make you laugh."

She sighed, a forlorn but brave little sigh, the sort of sigh breathed by virtuous little girls who are cruelly abandoned by uncaring parents yet somehow manage to soldier on. "I'll probably watch a movie or something."

I went to the concert. It was wonderful. Fabulous. Totally worth the time and the money. I came home to a delicious smell and discovered that Delia had resorted to one of her favorite methods of comforting herself when upset: baking. The inscription on the cake, however, was perhaps meant as coals of fire on my head:

Comments

[only-sound.livejournal.com]

Your post made me think of the particular mommy war in which the participants spend threads and threads arguing over whether infants will develop better if they are comforted whenever they fuss in the night or whether they should be left to cry it out. The cry-it-out (?Ferber?) folks say their way teaches self-comforting, and thus independence. So, um, you're teaching Delia to be a strong, independent young woman?

It looks like excellent cake!

[naomikritzer]

OK, that made me laugh out loud.

Poor Delia.

[eal.livejournal.com]

She did a great job on the script :). That's hard stuff to get done right and a gutsy call to do it in white on chocolate (difficult to clear if you make a mistake).

I'm so glad you enjoyed the concert -- that's important, too.

[sternel.livejournal.com]

Has Delia seen cake_decorating? I suspect she'll find it interesting.

Also, Peg, I tried to send you this via pegkerr@livejournal, but comcast seems to think it's spam. I pass this persistent little tree on my walk to the train every day, and thought you'd appreciate it.

[baldanders.livejournal.com]

I hope you'll forgive me for laughing when I saw the picture.

[inimue.livejournal.com]

Nice cake! LOL!

Neil Gaiman has some interesting thoughts regarding the Harry Potter court case. Click here (http://journal.neilgaiman.com/search/label/Harry%20Potter) to read. (Scroll down the page.)

[musicbearmn.livejournal.com]

Poor thing. The joys of teaching children independence. She's quite the trooper, even if she won't admit it.

On another string, are you planning to go to HOTB May Day Festivities this year? I "have" to go this year as its a site visit for work (who ever said a parade would be a site visit....LOL). I'm loking very forward to it.

[cakmpls.livejournal.com]

Like a few others, I laughed when I saw the cake! The girl has flair.

[anghara.livejournal.com]

Um, you really should tell Delia that this is a deeply flawed strategy.

If she doesn't want to be left home alone, the idea is NOT to have a yummy cake waiting for everyone who abandoned her when they all come home. They will be trained to leave her MORE often rather than less often, if they know they have a cake to look forward to when they come back...

(nice cake, though [grin])

[mplsvala.livejournal.com]

LOL. That's excellent. I love your family stories. While I can't honestly say that I'm sorry that my days as a full-time kid-wrangler are over, I do enjoy peeking in on yours.

[cesario.livejournal.com]

Dude, that is hilarious. Delia is clearly aware that vengeance is best served hot. And sweet. And covered in chocolate.

[bohemianspirit.livejournal.com]

Give it another year or two, and the cake will read, "Home Alone! YESSSSS!!!!"