Mommy Day

Bella's been bugging me to get a pedicure for, like, months. I've been ignoring this request up until now because of my intense fear of creating a diva. First a pedicure, then a cell phone, than an American Express card, then she'd want personal assistant. And overmydeadbody am I going to raise a spoiled brat.

But ya know what? She's a great kid. She's polite and kind and respectful and doesn't give us a lick of trouble. She presented us with a stellar kindergarten report card and her teacher raved about her as well during her recent parent-teacher conference.

Ya know what else? I decided that giving her a reward for all her efforts probably won't create a monster. We discussed, at length, the benefits of working hard and meeting our responsibilities. I mean, that concept applies in real life, right? It's called a paycheck.

And while I still have pangs of guilt treating my 5-year-old to a pedicure when there are 5-year-olds in Cambodia dying of abscessed teeth, earlier today we sat side-by-side at the spa and enjoyed an hour of pampering. She loved it, and even better...she said thank you for it.

She chose blue polish. That little rebel.