After We Jump In Puddles

Just a few weeks ago, my daughter and I went to the park which — in and of itself — isn’t groundbreaking. In fact, most days of the week when Mommy is off, and the weather is nice, we head to the park just after sunrise and stay there for hours on end. We share secrets and snacks. I drinks my iced coffee while Peanut sips on ice water, and then we run around. We dig in the dirt and collect sticks. We play with bubbles and, well, I play dinosaur. And then my daughter throws a tantrum because we have to leave.

Because, at some point, we have to go home.

But on this day my daughter decided to hide behind a tree, because we couldn’t leave if I couldn’t see her. We couldn’t leave if I couldn’t find her. (Smart, I know.) So I played along, and her antics actually resulted in a short, fun game of hide and seek.

And that is when I snapped this picture. During our game, I captured all of innocence and unadulterated joy childhood brings. And I continued taking photos until my daughter said “no Mommy. Go away. No more pictures.”

Instantly, I felt a pang of sadness.

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