Thoughts | Mint Ice Cream and Gummy Bears

We were going out for ice cream one evening a few weeks ago.. pretty rare especially nowadays… and Mila was SET on getting mint ice cream with gummy bears. She loves strawberry ice cream too so I suggested “maybe do strawberry ice cream with gummy bears, or maybe mint ice cream with cookies or chocolate, you love chocolate”… she calmly and firmly said “no, I’ll have mint ice cream with gummy bears please” so we went up to the lady, she made her request and the lady started scooping.. Mila looked at us and said “Hooray! I was right!” as if to say “see it is possible! I can have mint ice cream and gummy bears!!”

…. and gosh.

I realized I was putting my own (flavor) limits on her, as if she couldn’t decide what tastes good to her! Even though this was no big deal, it really made me sit back and be more mindful of what my children may want to try, and even when I just don’t get it what’s the harm in supporting those decisions? Why not say SURE you get whatever kind YOU want, I mean, it is ice cream for goodness sakes.

Anyway, just thinking about how I can better let go of the little things. Why stress or make a big deal of something so small? Why not let these little people make the decisions available to them and stop trying to put my own opinion on it?

And btw, she ate the whole thing, and even said “this is the best ice cream of my whole life!”

I suppose we should all go out and find our mint ice cream and gummy bears. And make the decisions that are right for us. Even if it doesn’t make sense from the outside. Because um, that dessert combo wasn’t making sense from the outside that’s for sure. Following exactly what we want, whether it’s in career or design or even ice cream. And say “Hooray! I was right!” when it all works out.

Stay true to you yo.


images via Terrence Caviar. How great are they? I loved the wardrobe snacks series.