Summary

A mother's wish for a celebratory date night with her husband is unexpectedly granted by her teenage daughter's thoughtful orchestration.

Abstract

The author of the article, who has been diligently working on her book, expresses a desire for a special outing with her husband to celebrate her progress. Despite her husband's busy schedule, her teenage daughter steps in as a fairy godmother, arranging a surprise date night by convincing her father to bring home roses and take her mother out for dinner. The daughter's initiative and the subsequent evening out not only fulfill the mother's wish but also reinforce the parents' belief that they are succeeding in their parenting journey. The article concludes by suggesting that readers share their dreams, implying that wishes can come true with a bit of magic and effort.

Opinions

The author values the importance of celebrating personal achievements, as evidenced by her desire to go on a date with her husband after making significant progress on her book.
The teenage daughter is portrayed as having a dual nature, capable of both mischief and acts of kindness, as seen in her effort to make her mother's wish come true.
The article conveys a sense of appreciation for the small, magical moments in life that can bring joy and reassurance to one's parenting abilities.
The husband's willingness to participate in the surprise and the daughter's creative negotiation for babysitting services indicate a family dynamic that values compromise and celebration of each other's accomplishments.
The author seems to believe in the power of dreams and wishes, suggesting that they can sometimes be realized in the real world, much like in fairy tales.

Sometimes the Best Wishes Do Come True

But wishes are only granted in fairy tales. ― Simone Elkeles

Close your eyes and make a wish.

What did you wish for?

Please don’t tell. If you do, your wish won’t come true.

That’s usually true, but sometimes fairy tales meet real life.

Such was the case tonight.

My daughter is the fairy godmother and sprinkles her magic dust for the business of granting wishes.

I’ve been working nonstop on the rough draft of my book and am ready to celebrate the progress. I hoped for a lunch date with my husband, but his schedule didn’t allow for the time.

I was all cleaned up and even put on a dress. If you know my normal attire you know a t-shirt dress is dressed up for me, so this is a big deal. When I picked the girls up from school the oldest said, “You look nice today. Are you going on a date with Dad”?

I played it off, or so I thought, claiming that I wanted to dress up today. The girls both asked me about my book and screams overtook the car when I shared my progress.

Mommy, you did it!

As soon as I took the youngest to her Taekwondo lesson, the oldest sent my husband a text:

Hey, Dad, Mom’s all dressed up. Stop by the store on the way home, bring home a dozen roses, and I’ll babysit for free. It will only cost you a Digiorno pizza.

She was brave and bold.

She’s a normal teen. She doesn’t always use her powers for good, but tonight she is in the business of making dreams come true.

Over the course of 45 minutes, the magic of a dream came to real life.

When I got home there were a dozen roses in a vase sitting on the kitchen counter. A smile was on my husband’s face as he informed me we were going out for dinner.

You might be thinking this kid is awesome. She is… And, she’s a normal teen. She doesn’t always use her powers for good. We were certain there would be an “ask” later in the weekend, but for now, we were ready to enjoy the wish she had granted.

A pizza was in the oven for the girls. It’s not our healthiest meal choice or a normal one for us, but it’s rare that wishes are granted. A splurge is in order tonight.

We made a quick escape for some live music and bar food.

The best mastermind sessions for our lives happen over a bottle of wine on date night. We solve the world’s problems. We evaluate where we are, where we’re going in life, and set a course on how to get there. Tonight my husband even tucked a small notebook in his shirt pocket so we could capture the best ideas.

When we got home we found the girls asleep in their beds. The youngest, with a cute baby face glow, from a nearby nightlight. And, the oldest, basked in the glow of a maternal spirit for her wish-granting powers.

As parents, many of us wonder if we’re doing this parenting thing right.

Tonight we have the comfort we are.

Care to share your dreams? The fairy godmother may visit you too.