Driving home from work with my family in tow, I pulled up to a stoplight. With Halloween weekend coming up, I decided to use this brief moment to quiz my 2-year-old."Hey Ella?"
"What Daddy?" she said from the back seat.
"What is your sister Anna going to be for Halloween?"
"A beautiful butterfly!" she yelled.
"That's right. What are you going to be?"
"Cinderella!"
I turned back to face the red light, waiting for it to change. In the process, I shot my wife the I-Can't-Believe-How-Smart-Our-Daughter-Is look. It's a look I shoot her all-too-often.
A moment or two passed, then Ella's soft voice resurfaced with a very concerned tone.
"Daddy?"
"Yes dear?"
"What are you going to be for Halloween?"
This was a great question. I hadn't thought about it and, quite frankly, wasn't planning on dressing up. In truth, Halloween is really about the kids so it didn't matter to me whether I dressed up or not. But if she wanted me to, maybe I would.
"I don't know, Ella. What do you want me to be?"
She thought about it for a second. Then a giant smile overtook her face.
"A big Cinderella."
(Luckily for me, I don't think they make glass slippers in my size.)
"Reasons To Smile" is a series of shorts from The Life of Dad and will be updated periodically in-between usual posts to (hopefully) brighten your day.
