Maria, Mario and I sat down to dinner last night.  Mario had his toys next to him at the table, and within a minute of beginning to eat, he took out a Ben 10 figurine and started playing with it.  I began to tell him that he was going to be sent to his room if he did not stop playing and start eating but Maria interrupted me,

“Mom, I got it.  You just eat your dinner and enjoy. I will take care of this.” 

She proceeded to give Mario a lecture about needing to eat his food in order to get big and go to kindergarten.  She sounded just like me and Jon.  When he continued to play with his toy, I tried to chime in again.

She stopped me by grabbing my forearm.  “Mom, I really got this” she said as she grit her teeth.  She stood up and grabbed the toys from the table and placed them over on the other side of the room.  While she walked to the other side of the room, she told Mario he would only get them if he ate his dinner.  I thought that he would attack her for sure.  But instead he watched her take his toys and did not say a peep.  I can’t say that he chowed his food down after she talked to him, but he didn’t go hysterical either.  It was quite a sight.  I told Maria that she was going to be a good nanny.  She told me that there needs to be consequences. 

Yeah, my 7 year-old daughter is informing me that there must be consequences.  If I was skeptical before, I am no longer.  Maria had to be a mother in a past life.  Maybe even mine?! 

Meanwhile, she was back to her 7 year-old self tonight as we ate dinner.  She called Mario a “poopy-butt” and he called her “stupid.”  When I told them both to behave, she copped a seven-year old attitude and turn her chair from me.  There is my darling girl I know and love. 

After dinner, we scurried around to find shoes and clean up in order to go see the elephants that arrived in town for the circus.  They stop the rail car about a mile down the street and walk up Grandview Avenue.  We head over to see them every year.  This year, Sherri and Jessica and Eli and Isaiah met up with us to see them.  I had touted the event as a great time.  But this year was completely different from past years.  The route changed because the circus is at a different location.  We used to play around at the local park in years’ past because the elephants went right by it.  This year, we waited on the sidewalk in front of a friend’s house. 

Last year, there were more elephants and animals in the parade. I believe there was a clown, too.  It lasted for 20 minutes.  This year there were six elephants and ten horses and the parade lasted two minutes max.  Poor Eli and Isaiah.  Isaiah summed it up the best when he turned to Jessica and cried “That is it, mama?!”  To make up for the lack of entertainment, we let Isaiah and Mario wrestle in the friend’s lawn, which was more entertaining than the elephants.  

We walked back to the house, and said goodbye to Sherri and the crew.  The kids took separate baths, got on their nighties, and watched a show.  I put on my nightie, too, and listened to Maria talk about art class.  As I rinsed my face off with water, Maria said “do you know what, mom?” I said “what, pumpkin?” She said “I love you so much.”  Spoken like a true mother.