About Rebecca Eckler
Since becoming pregnant with her daughter Rowan, Canadian journalist and author Rebecca Eckler has penned three hilarious books, including the best-selling Knocked Up. Catch Rebecca’s weekly unique perspective on motherhood and single parenthood.
To Tell the Truth
eckler plus one canada
(Apr.16.09)
I am NOT a violent person. In high school I was voted most likely to join the Peace Corp. (True story!)
The one and only…animal… who has ever made me want to smack him in the face, and kick him in that place, so he would writhe in pain, was Barney.
Yes, Barney, that purple dinosaur. I always had the overwhelming urge to hurt the bastard, so much that I actually considered signing up for anger management classes, every time he was on television.
Now that my daughter is well past the age of watching Barney, I miss Barney.
Let me explain. Barney’s line was always, “Use your imagination!”
Because I’m a writer, with a very active imagination, I make up very elaborate stories for my daughter. The story she loves the most is how she came into this world.
I told her that I prayed and prayed and prayed for a girl with brown hair and brown eyes. I told her there was a place way, way, way up in the sky (in between Puppy Land and Fairy Land) where all babies live.
I told her, after praying and praying, my wish finally came true! One day, a dozen fairies flew down to my door, dropping off a basket. Inside, was my brown eyed, brown hair, baby. (“That was me, mommy!!!” my daughter always screams.)
Even though my daughter has seen photographs of me pregnant, and watched my sister-in-law throughout her pregnancy, and even though my MOTHER told my daughter babies come out of the vagina (Thanks mom!) my daughter still believed she was dropped off by the Baby Fairies.
I have also told my daughter that I was once a mermaid. She loves the story of how one day a wizard came up to me, as I was splashing around with my mermaid friends, and asked if I’d like to become human.
I’ve also told her that I was actually from the planet Pluto, but my space ship broke. We spent an entire day making a space ship out of a laundry basket so I could get “back home” (but, of course, I couldn’t go back without batteries, and we didn’t have any!).
But, now, my daughter has started to, well, understand things. “But mommy,” she said to me the other day. “Was I in Baby Land or in your stomach first?” And, “If I was in your stomach, how did I get to Baby Land?” And, “How come you don’t ever see your mermaid friends?” (She also asked, “What is God?” But that’s a WHOLE other post.)
I’m going to have to start telling my daughter the truth, which saddens me. Using your imagination is so much more fun! I’m starting to understand what it feels like when your child tells you, “There’s no such thing as Santa or the Easter Bunny!”
Every night, my daughter and I cuddle in bed. She asks me to tell her stories (She prefers my stories than actual books!) I asked her what story she wanted to hear.
“I want to hear the one when you wished for a brown eyed, brown haired baby and then the fairies brought me to you from Baby Land.”
Yay! Even though she doesn’t entirely believe that that’s where she came from anymore, at least I know she likes using “her imagination.”
So, ahem, thank you Barney. Who knew THAT would ever come out of my mouth?