the decision-making process

The Family is considering buying a new (very old) home. Fret not, local readers: we aren’t leaving Our Town any time soon. We just found a house around the corner that is pretty swell.

This being a serious decision, I decided to enlist my favorite sounding board: The Kidling. I asked her at breakfast this morning what she thought about our home vs. the prospect and which she preferred. Here’s what I got:

“Well, it would be good to have a basement that’s further away from the windows in case of a tornado. This one has (counts) one, two, three, four, five, six, seven windows–and the door–right by the basement.”

“Well, that one IS a lot bigger than ours,” she noted.
“Is that a good thing or a bad thing to you?” I asked.
“Medium.”

“Let’s think about which one would be the nicer setting for Halloween? Which would have a better table for gourds?”

“This house does have something I like.”
“What’s that?” I questioned.
“There’s a race room.”

Hmm. A race room… we might need to be sure that transitions to the (potential) new digs. Couldn’t have a little gal lacking that now, could we?

on saving… or not

Last week during the blog-cation that wasn’t, The Family made a trip to the mall to shop for new toys. Not for The Kidling; rather, for The Parents. You see, we still have flip phones, and it seemed about time to enter the 2000s… unfashionably late.

Alice put up with a lot on that outing. We went after pre-school and before dinner. That’s right, sometimes The Parents like to play with fire. On this particular evening, we managed not to get burned. Trust that we know we lead very charmed lives.

As a sign of appreciation for her ridiculously patient behavior, we gave Alice four quarters to ride one of the little rides near our mall’s food court. Oh yes, The Parents are magnanimous. Alice circled the area several times before choosing a race car. Face filled with expectation, she sat down− and then stopped.

“I want to put these in my piggy bank,” Alice declared.

Hiding my shock, I told her, “You may, Alice. You get to choose.”

“Can I have four more?” she inquired.

“No, just these four,” I told her. “You may choose whether to ride or save them for your piggy bank.”

As you might have guessed, several moments passed as The Kidling paused to consider her options. Alice is never quick to make her decisions. Ever. Even when the decision is as inconsequential as yogurt vs. cereal for breakfast, Dr. Seuss vs. Highlights magazine at story time, PBS Kids vs. Milo and Otis, or… any decision she has made in her 4.8 years. There are worse things than having a thoughtful child.

Still pausing, dear reader? That should be enough. We’ll carry on now.

“Okay, I’ll ride,” Alice decided. “And if I get four more, just because I’m special, can I put those in my piggy bank?”

Indeed. After thorough consideration, of course.