When our daughter, Austyn, was about three years old, I was driving her home from pre-school. She was staring out her rainy, back window and noticed a lady carrying an umbrella.
She said, “Momma, look at her Cinderbrella!” I chuckled when I turned and saw a woman walking the crosswalk carrying an umbrella.
To a three-year-old girl everything revolves around Cinderella. We must have watched that movie hundreds of times! It made me smile that day, as her growing eyes and growing vocabulary created the word “Cinderbrella!”- a mixture of umbrella and Cinderella.
A couple of years later, instead of seeing a Cinderbrella, Austyn met the live Disney character, Cinderella, at the Magic Kingdom. She was older, but the awe of meeting a real live princess brought the word “magic” to life before her eyes. I remember that when Cinderella waved and smiled our way, during the parade (filled with thousands of people), our thousands of dollars seemed worth every penny!
My daughter is eight now. And, our small town has started a sweet, yearly tradition to raise money for scholarships, by hosting a father/daughter dance. It is for the girls from kindergarten through fifth grade with their dads.
It’s a brilliant idea, because these girls love to have a reason to get dressed up, get extra attention from their dads, and get to dance to “Watch me Whip” with their friends. The mothers take book-oodles of pictures and post them all over social media. Later, while the dads are gone, many moms congregate together (with dinner or some glasses of wine) to discuss theirs and other social media posts.
“Is she six or sixteen?”
“I don’t think I would let my daughter wear that much make up!”
“Did she have her hair professionally done?”
“They come in a limo now- what’s left for later?”
These are just some of the comments the Real Housewives of our county might be known to say the nights of these dances.
The dance even has a dance contest between the couples, ending with a trophy for each grade level. These girls will return to school the following Monday boasting over their title that will stand until the following year!
The dance was a brilliant idea! Scholarship money is made along with special memories, jealousy and a little bit of innocent competition.
My husband somehow lucked out of missing the first two, but this year my second grader was NOT missing it for the world. She had now been in school long enough and had heard too much about these dances, who had the reigning titles, and what she was missing out on to miss one more year.
She planned her dress, her hair, her nails, her shoes, and her dance moves.
On the day of the dance, as she shopped for “the perfect dress” with her grandmother, they noticed the bad weather coming. My mother said, “Oh no! I hope it doesn’t rain tonight!” Austyn quickly shrugged it off and said, “It’s okay. I know my daddy will have an umbrella!”
Like our Godly Father always has his umbrella for us, Austyn knew immediately her Daddy would have his for her. She knew the rain wouldn’t matter and nothing could spoil their special dance. Both, my mother and I, thought it was special how she instantaneously knew she could count on him for protection.
My husband was in the other room yelling, “Not, too much make-up! Let’s go! How much longer?” in an all too familiar tone, as I finished her light pink cheeks and simple up-do.
We took a few last primps. And, she asked for the 24-hour hair spray for the twenty fourth time and fretted just a little more than I would have liked. She is my child, after all, and it was a little eye opening to how quickly vanity can consume a sweet eight-year-old’s spirit. I wondered how often I acted the same? And, I knew by her words, expressions, and down right embarrassing behavior my answer!
Finally, she began to smile, twirl, and get excited about her first date! She looked at her reflection from far away, up close and in every angle of the mirror to admire her mulled over makeover. She felt confident and ready to be on her way!
Her daddy, her prince (and mine) seemed a bit nervous, as he waited for her in his best suit, and I knew she felt like it was going to finally be her own magical night! He gave her a flower and said, “Wow! You look perfect!”
The rain was just barely beginning to fall, like my tears, as I watched them walk away for their date.
He was holding her sweet little hand in one hand, and I caught a quick glimpse of the umbrella in his other hand…..the umbrella she knew he would have.
Just as I turned to walk back inside, I suddenly remembered her made up word from long ago, and thought to myself…………………“He has TWO Cinderbrellas. Tonight, he has TWO Cinderbrellas!”
Yours Truly,
Hairnet Heiness
