She's a Keeper

We've told our kids various tales about the gypsies. You know, that band of traveling musicians who come to town and steal your kids in the middle of the night. We've heard they especially like to steal the ones who won't brush their teeth, listen to their mommies and daddies or eat their dinner.

Of late we've relegated these tales to simply telling our kids that if the gypsies come and ask us if we have any little kids to give them, that we don't and we plan to keep our kids.

This morning I was saying good-bye to Marissa at KinderCare. I gave her a big hug and said, "I love you, Marissa. I think I'll keep ya."

She looks me very seriously in the eye and says, "Mommy, you have to keep me for a loooong time."

"Really?" I gasp. "Like...until tomorrow?"

"No," she says, "Until I'm all growed up."

"Okay," I said, "That sounds good to me."

It does. And then some.