A Real Bargain!

Ever had an experience where a child in his or her innocence completely misunderstood something you said?  A chance to see something through a child’s eyes?  I once gave my Dad that opportunity!

I don’t recall my age, but know I was pretty little.  Daddy was trying to get me to do something (don’t recall what, perhaps some kind of household or yard work or taking care of pets chore).  To give me an incentive to do whatever it was, he said “I’ll make you a bargain.”  I felt a thrill well up in my entire body!  A bargain!  A real bargain?  I could hardly contain my excitement.  My dad was going to make a PLAYHOUSE for me!!!  I have no idea why the word “bargain” meant a little playhouse, but that’s how I understood it at the time.

So, I waited and waited and waited... for weeks.  No lumber, nails or paint in sight.  No sounds of hammering in the night when my parents thought I was fast asleep.  No giggles from my mom and dad as they planned what colors they would use on the walls.  Nothing.  I was so disappointed.

Then it occurred to me that he may be building my bargain someplace else, and the whole thing would be delivered on the back of a truck when it was finished.  There, that was it!  So my excitement grew again.

One day, weeks or maybe even months later, Daddy was reminding me that I hadn’t done something I was supposed to have done.  I straightened my shoulders and pronounced to him, “Well, you haven’t done what you promised to either.  You never built my Bargain!!!”

I can still see the perplexed look on the faces of my Mom and Dad.

(My dad worked long and hard to provide for our family.  We weren’t poor, but certainly didn’t have extra money for things like building materials for a playhouse.  However, upon realizing they had inadvertently disappointed me, my parents cleared out half of our back porch, which was to be for my use only – as a playhouse area.  They found a little table, some chairs, tablecloths and such, storage for my tea set, etc. and that became MY space.  I sometimes invited them to join me for tea in my Bargain.)