honey, what am i gonna do with you?

i mean this in the nicest way.

the great paradox of parenting is that one moment you are in absolute love, and are reveling in the sweet joy of it all, and the next minute you are on the verge of checking yourself into an insane asylum. one minute you're trying to get your kid to walk the one block home from a friend's house, but because she wants a snack before she leaves and didn't get one since a.) she just had one and b.) anne had dinner waiting on the table, you have to acquire actual bruises on your shins from all the flailing caused by the world's most explosive tantrum.

AND THEN, 10 minutes later, you get to experience the strange sensation of your heart melting a little when the kid curiously walks up to you with astounding emotional amnesia, and asks with all sincerity, while staring intently at your hands, "mama, where did you get those knuckles?" or she discovers a clever re-use for a piece of folded cardboard and becomes determined to write a book called, "glitter, oh glitter, inside the bathrobe" and wants to read it to you right away... what's a girl to do?

i guess i'll start by un-channeling salinger so i can take a breath. and then i'll eat more cookies.