The Other World Series

We told Charlie he could stay up as late as he wanted to watch the World Series. In the car on our drive back from Raleigh, he rested to be ready to watch the big game. He was so excited.

As the game started, Sarah planted herself in the den and announced that she was going to watch too. Daddy told her she could watch for a while, but she said she wanted to stay up as late as Charlie.

"No," I explained. "It's going to be on really late."

"Then how come Charlie gets to stay up?"

"Charlie loves baseball, and he loves the Red Sox. This is really exciting to him. You bring a book to baseball games. If it was something you loved, you could stay up that late. But it's not like it's the Princess World Series!"

Sarah smiled and went into the kitchen. A few minutes later she asked me in a hopeful voice, "Mommy, when IS the Princess World Series?"

Thinking she was joking, I sent her in to ask her daddy that question, and I was surprised when she called out to me, "Mommy, he says he doesn't know." I went back in to her and explained that there was no Princess World Series, but that I was just using that as an example to say that Charlie is interested in baseball. She made one last-ditch effort ("Is there a Pony World Series?") before breaking down and sobbing that there wasn't any special event that she would get to stay up late for. Charlie offered helpful suggestions ("Hey, Sarah, on New Year's Eve you can stay up late!"), but Daddy and I suggested that our exhausted daughter crawl in bed with a book, and minutes later she was fast asleep. Dreaming about the Princess World Series, no doubt.