Sad boo

I went home for lunch at around 2 today--a late lunch, but I only woke up at 10 of 10. Oh, yes, it's summertime at last.

Z. takes a 3-hour nap and should have still been in the middle of it when A. and I heard the sound of small feet coming down the stairs.

Z. wandered, bleary and teary, into the living room. A. took her over to the couch while I hovered behind. Z. turned to me.

Z.: NO Mama, go AWAY Mama. Don't come here, Mama!

No, she doesn't get to be rude that way, and we told her so, and then I asked if she had a bad dream.

Z.: Get Della the Dragon to take de dream away.

I got Della, and also Oscar, who are both Green-and-Purple Dragons, the kind of dragon with special bad-dream-removing powers. Z. gripped them close. But she still wouldn't come near me.

S.: Was there a dream-Mama in your dream?

Z nods.

S.: Was the dream-Mama scary?

Nods again.

S.: Do you know that the dream-Mama isn't real? I'm your real Mama, I'm not a dream-Mama. I'm not scary and I love you.

Z. wanders over to behind the chair I'm sitting in, still holding her Green-and-Purple Dragons, and examines the bookshelves.

Z.: You get angry when I break something.

S.: Sometimes I do. Even when I get angry I love you. And I get angry sometimes when I'm scared that you'll hurt yourself. Do you think I get too angry?

Z. shakes her head.

S.: Do you think I get the right amount of angry?

Z. nods.

Z.: I want to read dat.

She curled up in my lap and we read The Wizard of Oz, the Sabuda pop-up version that has the cool emerald glasses you can put on. And I thought about how large I am in this little girl's world.