The Pink Thing

So here's how the conversation went a couple of days ago...

Allie: "Mommy, what's that pink thing in the garage?"

Sherrie: "I don't know." (Honestly)

Allie: "Daddy, what's that pink thing in the garage?"

Me: "I don't know." (Honestly)

Allie: "Let me show you"

She leads me into the garage. I'm thinking she's seeing the red light on the control panel of a TV we have in the garage (that's a different topic).

Allie (pointing to a pink box on the top of a very high shelf): "That pink thing."

Uh-oh. That was a Sleeping Beauty storybook (it's in a pink box) that was supposed to be a treat on Valentine's Day. I'd bought it the day before and thought I'd hid it well enough.

Me: "I don't remember what that is."

Allie: "Can you get it down?"

Me (standing flat-footed making a half-hearted effort to stretch): "It's too high. I can't reach it."

Allie: "Can you put me on your shoulders?"

At this point I got desparate to change the subject. So I suggested we go get some cookies or something to get us out of the garage and in the house. We went into the house and Allie went back to Sherrie. At the same time, I'm informing Sherrie of what it is (you know, using that secret, silent grown-up language of hand signals and lip synching). It was too late. Allie was beginning to put it together and the inquisition had begun.

Allie: "Is that a Valentine's Day treat for me? Does that pink thing have princesses? Was that the Sleeping Beauty storybook? Can I see it? Can I play with it?"

It didn't take long and we caved. I think we may have held out to the extent that we said "It may a Sleeping Beauty storybook, and it might be a Valentine's Day present for you." But that was only to preserve our pride rather than acknowledge that we'd been had by a four-year old. But in Allie's mind that was sufficient confirmation. (After all, this was the child who thinks "we'll see" and "yes" mean the same thing).

A couple of lessons learned...we'll have to start hiding surprises a little better & Allie clearly has inherited her mother's "snooping gene"!

As for the box, it remains unopened on the shelf. Allie asked a few more times after that and volunteered to get the ladder for me, but we finally convinced her to at least wait until February 14th.