My six-year-old says it's girls day every Sunday. And who am I to disagree?
She makes a long list during the week with fun things we can do together My son doesn't mind as he gets to play football with daddy all day and we always bring him back a little treat.
I tend to do other bonding activities with him in a different way - but for now, I think the importance of having a strong and open relationship with my daughter is vital, especially while she is young.
I figure it is building the very early foundations for our mother-daughter relationship that will hopefully be strong for life. For now, it is all about her favourite cartoons and the next birthday party. But someday in the future, I am very aware that it will be more about her favourite boys and her wedding plans. (Yay, hats!)
So with that in mind, here are some of our favourite things to do together:
1. Chick Flick
Anyone that knows me, knows I LOVE the cinema. The only person I wanted to see Beauty and the Beast with recently was my little girl. She knows just the right amount of popcorn to leave me, and we laugh at all the same parts. If our date is at home, we love nothing more than throwing on Annie, Home Alone, Moanna or Trolls.
2. Dress Up
Describing it as 'dressing up' is a little broad. It usually involves me trying out my outfit for an upcoming wedding or night out and her critiquing me. Savagely.
But she is wise beyond her years and she always agrees with me on two important points; There is no such thing as too much glitter and secondly, bring crimpy hair back in a BIG way is going to happen.
3. Tea Party
We open this particular date up to her pals too but the best part is the preparations. We borrow granny's fancy teacups, pick flowers from the garden (daisy's count, right?) choose a theme such as forest-chic, golden princess or mermaid madness and try to find as many accessories as possible to add to the glitz. The girls have warm milk in their cups and sip happily while we colour, chat and do beads.
4. Cleaning
No, I am not a complete tyrant - my little girl begs me to let her clean with me and to be honest, I enjoy our cleaning bursts, we have a laugh and those little fingers are perfect for the skirting boards. We usually do the actual cleaning for about 10 minutes and then, inevitably, end up sitting on my bed sorting through my jewellery. It is nice to chat to her about where I got certain pieces and the stories behind it.
5. A burst of fresh air
This is a complete win-win situation. I get to feel smug about going for a jog (ok, a fast walk) and my little one pedals furiously beside me on her bike or scooter. Often we have the best conversations about what might be on her mind as we are uninhibited by the surroundings. We both come back feeling refreshed and delighted with ourselves.
You see, it doesn't really matter what you do with your little side-kick, as long as you get to spend some time together when you can lap up their stories and they can relish getting some mummy time to themselves.
It isn't always possible with childcare, siblings and well, life, but those precious few minutes when you get to bond over a story or a song are way more important than we think.
