1 Mother 2 Another

Monday morning Cora woke up crying.
She’d had a horrible dream the night before, so I raced
upstairs to her worried that it was a continuation of that
nightmare.


“Hey, hey, Mommy’s here,” I soothed as I ran in.
Cora was still curled up in a ball, back towards me. As I lay down
next to her she rolled into me and melted, still whimpering and
sleepy.


I stroked her back. “What’s the matter, puppy?”


“I just realized,” Cora sobbed, “That when
I’m a mommy I won’t ever get a hair snuggle
again!”

Clearly my child had hit upon this random
thought, perhaps as she relived the nightmare from the hours
earlier, and how she’d snuggled my hair for a long time
afterward, and was struck by tragedy of never getting a hair
snuggle once she’d become a mommy herself.


“But once you’re a mommy, you can give your child a
hair snuggle, and that’s just as good – sometimes
better!” I said.


The sobs increased. “No, no, no, nothing’s better than
Mommy’s hair snuggle!” she wailed, clutching my braid
tighter.


“Ok. How about this: I promise that you can have a hair
snuggle with me whenever you want, no matter how big you get. I
promise that you will be able to have my hair snuggle for as long
as you need it.”


Cora opened one eye. “Really?” she asked hopefully.


“Really,” I said firmly, thrusting all worst-case
scenarios where I’d be unable to keep that promise from my
mind.


Cora sighed, shuddered, and nestled closer. Then she looked up at
me with a clear face. “Let’s go get some
breakfast!” And with that, she jumped off the bed and ran
downstairs.


I love that she took me at my word, and believes in me and my power
– and desire – to keep my promises. I sure hope that
lasts a long time.