The Sweetest Gift Ever
She had always dreamed of this day, today was the day she would be getting the sweetest gift ever! Her daddy had promised her that one day she would receive this wonderful gift. It was a doll, a perfect little doll that really laughed and cried. But he had warned her over and over again what a big responsibility it was to have such a gift. She had been waiting so long to have him say she was ready. She was excited, she was finally old enough and she was prepared.
“Well,” she thought, “am I prepared?” She began to doubt herself. Was she prepared for such a big gift? What if she wasn’t good at taking care of her doll? She tried to imagine herself with her perfect new doll. She would hold it, and rock it, and feed it. And if it cried she would sing to it.
“I’ve seen many people with their dolls,” she said to herself. “I have seen people take their dolls to the store, I have seen them take their dolls to the park to play with them. I have watched the older girls give the dolls baths, and change their clothes, and brush their hair, and put them in cradles for naps. I have seen big dolls and little dolls. I have even been allowed to hold the dolls! I have helped feed the dolls, and I have helped older girls watch the dolls while they went to do other important things.”
She had not realized that she was being prepared for so long, by so many people. She knew that the older girls were teaching her to be good and to stand up straight, and to act like a lady. But she had never realized that the older girls were also showing her how to love and nurture and protect, all at the same time.
How had the older girls learned these things and known that they were important to teach to other girls like her, little ones that didn’t even have dolls yet? They must have learned from older girls when they were little too!
Her fears were starting to subside now, and she was gaining her confidence back. Just then there was a knock at her bedroom door. It was her daddy, and as he entered she could see he was holding a tiny little ball in his hands. It was gold, perfectly round, and seemed to be glowing.
“Sit down with me,” he said with a gentle smile. “I have something to give you, but first I must give you some instructions for its care.” She sat down next to him near the open window that looked out of her room onto the world all around her. “I am going to tell you something very important. See this tiny little ball? It is the doll I promised you. It doesn’t look like it now does it?” She shook her head in confusion, and looked into his face to see if he was playing a game. But he just continued in his gentle, knowing way.
“Your doll is inside the ball. It is not quite a doll yet, so you must be patient and do what I say, or the doll cannot come out to play with you.” She was still confused, but tried very hard to listen to the things he was telling her. “I am going to tell you what you must do to get your doll out of the ball now. First, you must carry the ball with you everywhere you go. You can never leave it alone, and no one else can hold it for you right now. It is your responsibility. You must learn to love it. Second, you must eat all of your vegetables! You must eat everything that is put on your plate. It is hard work taking care of a doll, so you have to be prepared, this means you must eat healthy foods to give you energy while you take care of your doll. Third, you must report to me often how you are feeling about the doll. You must tell me when you are scared, and when you need help, and any time you have a question about your doll. You see, I made your doll special just for you, so I know exactly how to take care of your doll. I want to help you, but you have to ask.”
“How long do I have to wait, and do all of these things before I can actually hold my doll?” She was feeling anxious about all of these new responsibilities.
“I will let you know when the time is right, and then I will help you know how to open the ball to get the doll out.” He smiled at her, hugged her tiny body, and left the room.
She looked down and stared at the ball. Is this how every little girl got their doll?
In the next little while she worked very hard to do exactly what her daddy had said. She carried the ball everywhere with her. She took it to school, she took it to bed, she even took it with her when it was bath time! And each day it seemed like the ball grew a little. She loved that little ball.
She ate all of her vegetables, she cleaned her plate every meal, and even ate snacks in between meals. Her daddy was right, it did take a lot of energy to get ready for her doll. And every day the ball got a little bigger!
And she tried very hard to remember to talk to her daddy about the doll every day. She would go to him and ask him what she would need to do when she first got it. And how she would know what to do when it cried and cried and she got scared. And with every fear he would simply smile and say, “I know you can do this. You are my little girl and I will be here for you always, but this is part of your adventure!”
One day the ball began to move! She ran to her daddy and asked what was going on. He hugged her very tight and said, “it is time for you to see your doll.” Then he held her on his lap and watched as she worked and worked on opening the ball. She worked hard and long on the ball with her little hands. Her finger hurt and she felt like it was too hard for her to do all by herself. She would turn to him with tears and ask him to help her for a second, and his reply was always the same, “I am.”
Finally, after hours of frustration the ball suddenly popped open! She picked up the doll and held it to her chest. She turned to her daddy and smile. “Thank you, thank you so much!”
“Now your adventure begins,” he said. He was smiling, but he had tears running down his cheeks. “I have prepared you for this. Now you must believe that you are ready. I love you, and I know you will love this doll I have made for you.”
She had always dreamed of this day, today was the day she would be getting the sweetest gift ever! Her daddy had promised her that one day she would receive this wonderful gift. It was a doll, a perfect little doll that really laughed and cried. But he had warned her over and over again what a big responsibility it was to have such a gift. She had been waiting so long to have him say she was ready. She was excited, she was finally old enough and she was prepared.
“Well,” she thought, “am I prepared?” She began to doubt herself. Was she prepared for such a big gift? What if she wasn’t good at taking care of her doll? She tried to imagine herself with her perfect new doll. She would hold it, and rock it, and feed it. And if it cried she would sing to it.
“I’ve seen many people with their dolls,” she said to herself. “I have seen people take their dolls to the store, I have seen them take their dolls to the park to play with them. I have watched the older girls give the dolls baths, and change their clothes, and brush their hair, and put them in cradles for naps. I have seen big dolls and little dolls. I have even been allowed to hold the dolls! I have helped feed the dolls, and I have helped older girls watch the dolls while they went to do other important things.”
She had not realized that she was being prepared for so long, by so many people. She knew that the older girls were teaching her to be good and to stand up straight, and to act like a lady. But she had never realized that the older girls were also showing her how to love and nurture and protect, all at the same time.
How had the older girls learned these things and known that they were important to teach to other girls like her, little ones that didn’t even have dolls yet? They must have learned from older girls when they were little too!
Her fears were starting to subside now, and she was gaining her confidence back. Just then there was a knock at her bedroom door. It was her daddy, and as he entered she could see he was holding a tiny little ball in his hands. It was gold, perfectly round, and seemed to be glowing.
“Sit down with me,” he said with a gentle smile. “I have something to give you, but first I must give you some instructions for its care.” She sat down next to him near the open window that looked out of her room onto the world all around her. “I am going to tell you something very important. See this tiny little ball? It is the doll I promised you. It doesn’t look like it now does it?” She shook her head in confusion, and looked into his face to see if he was playing a game. But he just continued in his gentle, knowing way.
“Your doll is inside the ball. It is not quite a doll yet, so you must be patient and do what I say, or the doll cannot come out to play with you.” She was still confused, but tried very hard to listen to the things he was telling her. “I am going to tell you what you must do to get your doll out of the ball now. First, you must carry the ball with you everywhere you go. You can never leave it alone, and no one else can hold it for you right now. It is your responsibility. You must learn to love it. Second, you must eat all of your vegetables! You must eat everything that is put on your plate. It is hard work taking care of a doll, so you have to be prepared, this means you must eat healthy foods to give you energy while you take care of your doll. Third, you must report to me often how you are feeling about the doll. You must tell me when you are scared, and when you need help, and any time you have a question about your doll. You see, I made your doll special just for you, so I know exactly how to take care of your doll. I want to help you, but you have to ask.”
“How long do I have to wait, and do all of these things before I can actually hold my doll?” She was feeling anxious about all of these new responsibilities.
“I will let you know when the time is right, and then I will help you know how to open the ball to get the doll out.” He smiled at her, hugged her tiny body, and left the room.
She looked down and stared at the ball. Is this how every little girl got their doll?
In the next little while she worked very hard to do exactly what her daddy had said. She carried the ball everywhere with her. She took it to school, she took it to bed, she even took it with her when it was bath time! And each day it seemed like the ball grew a little. She loved that little ball.
She ate all of her vegetables, she cleaned her plate every meal, and even ate snacks in between meals. Her daddy was right, it did take a lot of energy to get ready for her doll. And every day the ball got a little bigger!
And she tried very hard to remember to talk to her daddy about the doll every day. She would go to him and ask him what she would need to do when she first got it. And how she would know what to do when it cried and cried and she got scared. And with every fear he would simply smile and say, “I know you can do this. You are my little girl and I will be here for you always, but this is part of your adventure!”
One day the ball began to move! She ran to her daddy and asked what was going on. He hugged her very tight and said, “it is time for you to see your doll.” Then he held her on his lap and watched as she worked and worked on opening the ball. She worked hard and long on the ball with her little hands. Her finger hurt and she felt like it was too hard for her to do all by herself. She would turn to him with tears and ask him to help her for a second, and his reply was always the same, “I am.”
Finally, after hours of frustration the ball suddenly popped open! She picked up the doll and held it to her chest. She turned to her daddy and smile. “Thank you, thank you so much!”
“Now your adventure begins,” he said. He was smiling, but he had tears running down his cheeks. “I have prepared you for this. Now you must believe that you are ready. I love you, and I know you will love this doll I have made for you.”
She smiled. She was ready.
3 comments:
Meg, I love this - you put so much of yourself into it - your excitement and your fears and just you. I also like that the little girl in the story, who IS ready to get her first doll, is still a little girl until she gets her doll It certainly feels that way during the wait and building anticipation - ,maybe even more than before. Ahh, your baby is coming so soon - pretty soon you'll get to hold it!
Beautiful. Thanks!
Meg, this is a very sweet story and even more so when I realized that you are pregnant. You have told your own story wonderfully.
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