Another win

Oh what mothers will do for their daughters, and what daughters will do for their moms. Because my child is not quite ten-and-a-half, we're just now entering the bartering phase of our relationship in earnest, the I'll-do-this-if-you-do-that years. Less Martyr, More Fullfilling. (The martyr bit is a joke.)

On the table today was the annual craft fair over at the high school, an hour or so that consists of my daughter wandering the aisles in wide-eyed wonder while I mutter to myself, "oh God, are we done?" Okay, maybe it's not that bad. Maybe. But given that I have no need for cutesy crap anything or oddly scented candles or appliqued sweatshirts or clothes for a goose, oh, maybe it is; so a deal, it was struck.

"I'll take you , but then, when it's over, we're going to watch football at the dreaded Wild Wings."

I intended to be good (read: economical) and just follow the score online today, given that we're always stuck with the Hams broadcast (that's how Rams is pronounced, I've learned, with a Portuguese accent, and it amuses the hell out of me) instead, but, I've seen every quarter of the Pack's season, and if I was going to a craft fair I figured a reward was justified.

And I got one, beyond a 34-0 victory: my girl watched football with me! She had not absorbed too much by osmosis, despite wearing a Packer shirt of mine (that, ye gods, fits), so I explained about the scoring, the downs, the time outs, the Favre. I don't know what kind of lousy mother lets a child grow for a decade without better understanding the basics, but at least she's a quick study. And a bit of a tease: before she got used to me reacting to whatever was on the screen, she smiled and said if her lemonade spilled at least she knew it would not be her fault. The rat.

It was just a good day. And, bonus, she wants to go back. The exciting parts were exciting to her, and she was not bored. I suppose that what she enjoyed most was the food (to justify our extended stay at the table, she even got chocolate cake) and hanging out with her mom; I sure enjoyed her too-- even at the lousy craft fair. But if I can add Packer football to the list of things she likes to do? Even better, as all those fathers and sons at the surrounding tables already know. Boys aren't the only ones who could use a little bonding, and today we got some, too.