Frosty

I was so not pleased at having to scrape the ice off my windshield at 5:30 this morning. But I went to work, and two hours later I was hauling the girls I nanny for out the door to get to school. When we emerged from the toasty house, a rush of cold air hit our faces and I bundled little Willow tighter, hoping to protect her sweet, chubby cheeks from the blustery breeze. Jewell, who is kindergarten, screamed in excitement, "This is the best day of my life!"

Ugh, seriously? "Look at the snow, Mallory! Just look at it! It's beautiful! This is the best day ever!" She then proceeded to twirl around in the frost-covered grass, arms spread wide, smile plastered across her face, eyes to the heavens, searching for more "snowflakes."

I couldn't help but smile, but then I had to herd her into the car so we wouldn't be late for school. She asked if we could build snowmen after school, and I had to gently explain to her that this wasn't snow. It was frost and it would melt by lunchtime. She cried, an overly dramatic cry, straight out of a Lifetime movie. I tried to explain to her the difference between frost and snow, why it would melt (I really thought my ice cube analogy was gold, but she didn't buy it), but the crying continued until we pulled into the drop-off line at school. She grumbled something about how her life was ruined and I sent her on her way, hoping her teacher could better explain this weather phenomenon to her.

This incident got me thinking about our first night of class when we discussed the imagination of children and how we are, as a society, slowly eliminating the wildness from our kids. She wanted desperately to play in the "snow" and I crushed her spirit. Should I have lied to her? Should I have allowed her to make a "snow" angel and dropped her off late to school? I struggled with my responsibility to her, and ultimately think I made the best decision. Certainly she'll forget about it, but I won't. Hopefully it will snow enough one day down here and I can help her build a proper snowman. That will truly be the best day of her life.