The Effects of a Daddy-Daughter Day
"Mama!"
Eva started from where she was sitting on the couch, dropping the book she'd been reading as Grace jumped into her lap for a hug.
"Hi, Grace," she said, wrapping her arms around the four-year-old girl. A few hours ago, Neil and Grace left to go to the mall for a father-daughter date, something the two of them had been looking forward to for days. "Did you have fun with Daddy today?"
"Uh-huh!" Grace answered, nodding happily. "Daddy got me lots of pretty stuff!"
"I'll bet he did." Eva looked up to see Neil walk into the living room with his hands full of shopping bags.
"Grace's now got enough pink ribbons, sparkly hairclips, pretty bracelets, and cute dresses to last her a month," Neil said, dropping the bags on the carpet.
"Well, I sure hope you didn't spend all our life savings on that month's supply," Eva quipped. "Have you had lunch?"
"Brownies!" Grace exclaimed, breaking her and Eva's hug to leave her mother's lap, stand up on the couch, and jump up and down.
"No jumping on the couch, Grace." Eva stood up and took her daughter's hands to stop her.
"And ice cream!" Grace added as she sat back down.
"Neil!" Eva scolded, whipping around to face her husband. "Brownies and ice cream is not lunch!"
"That was dessert," Neil corrected, apparently unfazed by her reaction. "Chicken nuggets were lunch."
"Daddy, can we go out again tomorrow?" Grace asked.
"Sorry, princess," Neil said, "Mama and I gotta work."
Grace groaned.
"No worries; you can go out with Daddy again another day," Eva reassured her. "In the meantime, go run along to your room. Daddy and I need to find space for your new stuff."
After Grace had done what she was told ("Be careful not to fall!" Eva called as her daughter actually ran out of the living room), Eva turned her attention back to Neil, a stern frown in place.
"If she doesn't want to eat dinner because she's had so much sugar, I'm blaming you entirely," she informed him.
"Oh, c'mon, Eva," Neil protested. "Dinner's still hours away—Grace'll be hungry again by then. And even if she's not, skipping a meal once in her life isn't gonna kill her."
"You still shouldn't spoil her as much as you do."
"I don't spoil her that much."
"Really?" Eva asked rhetorically, gesturing at the numerous bags still lying on the carpet. "Then why did you buy all this?"
Neil momentarily paused. "Would you believe me if I said Grace couldn't choose what the prettiest stuff was and decided she wanted everything?"
"Actually, I would," Eva admitted, her mouth involuntarily twitching upward as she imagined Neil holding out two dresses and Grace pointing at both of them. Even so, she was quick to sober. "But I doubt you tried very hard to limit what she could have."
"So I have a hard time saying no to our daughter. Are you really surprised?"
"I'd say yes, but I'd be lying." Eva glanced down at the bags. "Now, if we find enough drawer and closet space for Grace's new jewelry, hair accessories, and dresses, then I'll be surprised."
