Tiger Mother

Dear Bex,

There has been a lot of talk recently about a book called, "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother."  In it, the author details the strict way in which she was brought up.  Well, I am no Tiger Mother, baby girl - I'm Mush Mama.  One whimper from you, or big fat alligator tear that you can summon at a moment's notice or request, and I am  a puddle.  I frequently am using all of my willpower not to give in to your every whim!

However, as soon as you are in any type of discomfort or harm, I am the fiercest Tiger Mother there is.  Right now you have coxsackie virus (GREAT timing, by the way, as we leave for our annual trip to Georgia in two days!) and are extremely fussy and particular.  Eating and drinking don't appeal to you much because you have sores in your throat, and the pain is also making it somewhat hard to sleep, I think, since you fully had dark circles under your eyes just now before I put you down.  I want to shield and protect you with a ferociousness that I have never known - from germs that make you sick and uncomfortable, from physical and emotional pain, and from people like the woman I just spoke to on the phone.

Apparently, her grandchild had the same RadioFlyer Tricycle that Nicole bought you for your first birthday, and it was stolen from the playground near us.  She decided to confront Dina about having stolen it.  I am horrified to think about how Dina must have felt, and upset that you were there to even hear any of this, baby love.  I called the woman, Tiger Mother claws out, and explained exactly where and when we got the tricycle and that she was completely mistaken.  She was standoffish but apologized for the confusion, and now, twenty minutes after speaking to her, I'm still fuming.  I wish I had told her how much she scared Dina, how much she seems ridiculous in the first place for thinking that whoever did steal her tricycle would bring it back to that same playground, and offered to email her the receipt from Nicole to prove that it's ours.

Like I said - I want to protect you, and anything or anyone having to do with you, with a wicked ferocity.  And that's the kind of Tiger Mother I am proud to be.  The strict one? I'll have to work on my willpower against your insanely adorable charms... someday...

I love you, baby girl!

Love,
Mommy