Saying "Yes" to Lisa Loeb

Opening two new businesses (maybe three, depending on how you look at it) in a year's time has repercussions on your family. Big ones. Sometimes the very people that you are trying inspire and provide a future for get lost. For me, often times those people were my kids. Can you believe it? I own a child development program (with my sister and friend) and sometimes I took care of the needs of other children and left my own behind. The mother guilt . . .

So many times this year my husband and I had to say "no" to our children. There were time constraints, planning issues, and certainly economic reasons. This Sunday, I felt that I should say "yes". Iris was invited to a friend's sixth birthday party at Inflatable Wonderland in the mall, and we decided to make it a girls' day. Olivia and I dropped Iris off at the party (or SHE abandoned US), and Olivia and I found ourselves with two hours to spend together. It's so rare. Where did my little girl go this year? She's 9 1/2 now, and as much as she needs more private time, Sunday she needed me to herself like the old days, before two siblings.

For more than a month, Olivia had begged me for what Claire's Boutique calls "attitude glasses". "Frivolous in our tight family budget" I thought to myself. "Might ruin her eyesight"--there were at least ten reasons to buy her sensible shoes or most anything other than attitude glasses, EXCEPT, that they would bring my daughter great joy. She is a good kid. She works hard to help us at home. So, it was with great joy that I watched my daughter try on several pairs of attitude glasses before she decided on just the right ones. Saying "yes" felt good, and I vow to make it happen more often . . .

Now, introducing Lisa Loeb . . .

~Leslie