Sweet Girl

Thanks to my daughter, I’ve discovered what makes the world go ‘round. Before her birthday party on Saturday, I was firmly set on the idea that advertising makes the world tick. Sure, it’s an off-shoot of the typical “money” answer, but after fifteen years in television, I was sure advertising ruled the world. That was until Saturday.

And no, I’m not going to get all gushy and say “love” or “family.” But those are definitely close to the top. To fully understand what I’m talking about, we have to go back to Saturday morning, a full three hours before her party.

As any parent of a child in the baby/toddler years knows, the cornerstone to having a happy, successful day is the nap. Everything else flows from that. Whether it’s a one-hour power nap or a three-hour siesta, a rested child is a happy child.

There’s nothing worse than a tired and grumpy one-to-four year old with half a day to go. Maybe not all of their synapses have formed, and they have trouble firing when fatigue sets in. Or, maybe, as Finley demonstrates from time to time, they become uncontrollably insane. Which is why the nap can save you from joining them in the loony bin.

So, our party is set to begin at one and at eleven Heather’s friend, pregnant-with-twins Gina, agreed to watch the kid while we got the party set up. Luckily for us, Finley went down right before Gina showed up and we were hoping for a two-hour snooze of sanity.

Sure enough, as folks started arrive for the soirée, the little birthday princess started waking up. It was perfect. She was happy and fun and for a one-year old, took in all the people and noise very well. Then her world was to be forever changed.

Then the nectar of the gods was laid before the tiny one. And verily, she dipped her hands into the well of wonder, and brought forth unto her mouth the elixir of Apollo himself. What I’m trying to say is that for the first time in her life, she dove head first into sugar.

Heather bought a small coconut cake for the girl and after a few minutes of daintily picking off the coconut shavings, she plowed into the flour and frosting concoction and made the mess we were all hoping she would make. And that was fine and fun.

Fast forward to an hour or so later, post-party at our place.

Our little princess turned into a raving lunatic. She flopped onto her pint-sized couch like a drunk at a party and giggled madly on the floor. Below is just a few of the “highlights” from her sugar-induced tirade.

Of course, we’ll be keeping a keen eye on the amount of sugar she gets moving forward, but for a first birthday it’s okay to have a little fun. But it does make me wonder how much sugar I’ve consumed in my lifetime and how much sugar is in the things we eat and drink.

Plenty of people have to have their coffee in the morning… add a bit of sugar to your caffeine and it’s the only way some people can make it through the day. And who wants sugar-free? I’d rather lick a piece of wood.

Which is why I now think sugar makes the world go ‘round. If it can propel my daughter into fifth gear her first time through, just think of how much it helps us ALL get through the day.

Not that love and family aren’t a close second… in fact I’m quite aware that a synonym for sugar is love. And after seeing all the great friends and relatives we have show up for Finley’s birthday, I can say that there was plenty of sugar to go around for that little girl.

Then there’s the fact that I call Finley my “sweet girl” from time to time. I certainly don’t want her to go sour. In fact, I may have to give her kisses every day to make sure she stays sweet. That’s the kind of sugar I like best.