The Broken Olive Tree

The water heater was installed in just under an hour. As soon as the plumber's truck rumbled out of the driveway, after writing him a check for enough, I roared out of the driveway after him and went to the school to pick up Jupiter to bring her to dance class.

She put on sneakers to leave school and we went to dance class. I asked if she wanted me to stay, or if she wanted me to go do a couple errands while she was in class. She turned me loose, so I went up the street to the second hand store in the ritzy town to check for J Jill pants (none). Then I went to the garden store for a little green leaf therapy.

And since I hadn't written a check for enough an hour before that, I bought an olive tree. It promised to bring peace and harmony to my home. For $7.99. I'm all for peace and harmony, however it shows up. So I bought a little olive tree. The garden store man wrapped it all up in plastic to protect it from the winter breezes.

Then I went to pick up Jupiter at dance. I sneaked looks through the studio window until she caught me and came to the door to order me away. So I waited away from the door until class ended.

She handed me the sneakers she'd worn to dance and asked me to untie them.

While I was untying them, I looked at them more closely than I had.

They were not her shoes.

They were light up Sketchers which I'm sure cost significantly more than I am willing to spend on a pair of shoes.

Who needs a backpack? She can just wear stuff home on her feet.

She claimed that she traded her black shoes that were too big for the fancy light up shoes. With a girl in her class. But that she then took her shoes back.

Not sure what trading partner V was wearing on her feet. When asked, V indicated that there was, in fact a trade. Jupiter has very strict rules about not trading things. For the obvious reason. I can't trust her to tell the truth about the origin of new items in her possession. This girl V has been told repeatedly that Jupiter is not allowed to trade things. She still asks Jupiter to trade things with her. I'm not sure who the instigator of this particular trade was. Though I can't imagine V's mother would be happy with the rather lopsided trade of shoes.

I informed Jupiter that in the morning, the shoes had to go back to V.

Jupiter got to the car, and cried, and informed me how unfair it was that she didn't have light up Sketchers like her friends.

I tried to tell her about all the things she does have (including enough shoes for Imelda. It's not like the child doesn't have shoes.) And all the things she gets to do, like riding horses, that not all of her friends get to do.

So she argued, cried, and begged all the way home. She listed off family members who don't pay for riding lessons who should buy these shoes for her, since it was so unfair.

I also reminded her that not ALL of her friends have light up Sketchers. But she still thinks these shoes should just be given to her because she wants them.

About 3/4 of the way home, having withdrawn from the argument that was going nowhere, I looked over at the olive tree riding along on the seat, and remarked that I was going to return it because it didn't work.

Jupiter asked why it didn't work.

I told her it was supposed to promote peace and harmony in your home, but it didn't work.

She thought about it for a minute, and said, "Well, it's not home yet. Maybe it only works in the house."

I laughed. Trust her to come up with a reasonable explanation. Then I suggested that maybe it was because it was all wrapped up in plastic, and THAT's why it didn't work.

And after the brief hiatus, arguments reccommenced.

And nobody is going to buy them for her. If she wants to save her money from holidays and do some chores to earn some dollars, she's more than welcome to buy some for herself. So at home we went online and determined that shoes like V's cost about $40; and that's what she has to earn.

She seems interested in the challenge now. I can't wait to see the smile on her face when she proudly buys her own shoes. Hopefully it will make more of an impression than me arguing and explaining.

I think, possibly, her expectation that she must have (and be given) EVERYTHING is possibly more frustrating (to me) than anything else. Well, at least this week. Even more than misappropriation and lying.

I've unwrapped the olive tree and right now it is in the kitchen, waiting for a permanent window of its own.

Things have been fairly peaceful.

So I guess it was just broken in the car.