Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Infinity Squared Times 2...

Welcome SITS friends, to my little corner of the blog o' sphere. I'm very excited to be selected as today's featured blogger. I look forward to sharing a chuckle or a perhaps an emotional connection in which you might say to yourself, "Are you kidding me, I look at the world in the same twisted way!" I know I've had that feeling reading your blogs and am continually amazed over all the things, we perfect strangers have in common.

I'm not sure when it all started but my daughter and I have a little ritual... When we say "I Love You" to eachother, the other will reply with "I Love You Infinity squared times two, can't get any higher!" I do remember how it started... You probably know the game, I love you... I love you too... I love you three...


You see, the Blystone family finds deep gratification in always trying to one up eachother (my kids get it from their dad who's always engaging his sister in the game of 'Anything you can do, I can do better' and I myself, have picked it up through years of observation) As for my daughter and I, our particular 'game' eventually evolved into 'Infinity squared times two' as the end all be all of highest attainable numbers... But just in case you're not sure if it's the highest number the "Can't get any higher!" was added to remove all doubt.

Our little saying used to be a really sweet sentiment but lately it's turned into a competition... As in not too long ago one of us would say "I Love You" and instead of saying "I Love You too"... We'd immediately in rapid fire unison nearly shout, "I Love You Infinity...etc." Now that's all well and good except we'd end with an argument over who said it first or who cheated and just uttered part of the phrase (usually me)... I tried for awhile to just concede by saying, "Me too!"... But my childish nature took over and I found it hard to take the gloating looks my daughter would toss my way as if to say, "I am SO superior and you can never best me!" So the "Me too!" line just doesn't provide me with much satisfaction.


Lately I've taken to saying the phrase as we wish eachother goodbye when I drop her off at school in the morning... I say it before she can even gather her things and begin to exit the vehicle... I say it because I don't like the feeling of being 'bested' by my thirteen year old. She usually follows up my sing-song phrase and my 'see, you can't beat me' smile with a furrowed brow, a slight frown and little or no reply depending on her mood.

So I ask myself... Why am I acting like this? Why can't it just go back to the sweet phrase uttered with real affection? Why am I letting this become a competition? I can only guess it's because my little girl is growing up, 'my baby.' I want to keep her small but on the other hand I want her to become a strong, independant young woman. On one hand I think I'm challenging her to be better, work a little harder... On the other hand I feel like I'm telling her, "I'm still in control and don't forget it!"

This morning when I dropped her off at school and she leaned in to kiss me and say goodbye I automatically said, "I love you infinity squared times two, can't get any higher!" She replied with, "I hate these car rides!" Most likely because it's the one time of day I'm able to win the 'game'... I've been up hours longer than her and am therefore thinking much quicker. Any other time of the day she wins... And I guess I really hope that she continues to win because a thirteen year old who wants to best her mother at telling her how much she loves her is more than I could've ever hoped or wished for.

*I wrote this post 2 yrs. ago. My daughter is 15 now. We don't play the game anymore but we still say I Love You every day.

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61 Comments:

Blogger EmmaP said...

awwww...how cute! It's funny cuz Big-D & I were just having a similar conversation about this very topic today!

Congrats on being the FB of the day too!

2:30 AM, August 20, 2008  
Blogger Melissa Lester said...

What a gift that she will still tell you that she loves you. Just hearing that must make you feel like you've won.

3:09 AM, August 20, 2008  
Blogger Buttons and Dots Photography said...

Such a sweet post! Whenever I talk to my kids on the phone we say "I love you bye" super fast right before we hang up. Not a competition per say, just our thing!

3:34 AM, August 20, 2008  
Blogger trash said...

It all changes as they get bigger, huh? I am still at the 'nice' stage but I know its end is coming.

3:56 AM, August 20, 2008  
Blogger Belle (from Life of a...) said...

That's sweet!

5:48 AM, August 20, 2008  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

That's sweet - And don't worry - I'm sure the competition will start up again after the teen years have been survived. :)

We play the game of "sizes" as in:
as big as the earth
as big as the universe!

6:50 AM, August 20, 2008  
Blogger Creative Junkie said...

I love the last line of this post.

7:19 AM, August 20, 2008  
Blogger Lori said...

We started that with "Guess How Much I Love You". Mine haven't hit puberty yet so it's still happy-joy-joy fun and games (so far)!

7:21 AM, August 20, 2008  
Blogger Unknown said...

Ouch, glad that at least you and your daughter still say I love you and mean it.
It's so easy to get caught up in the one-upmanship at times.

7:35 AM, August 20, 2008  
Blogger Heather said...

My kiddo, currently 5 years old, uses the number "130" to signify the MOST she can possibly think of - the absolute HIGHEST number. Previously, she'd said "a million" or "ninety million" as her catch-all hugest number, but a few months ago, she settled on 130. So for her, the most she loves us (when we do the "I love you! I love you too! I love you THREE..." thing) is "I love you 130!" :)

Congrats on your big SITS day! Cheers!

7:47 AM, August 20, 2008  
Blogger What A Card said...

Aw, what a sweet follow up!

8:08 AM, August 20, 2008  
Blogger Rhonda said...

I think you should surprise her one of these days and say it anyway. Just because.

I would definitely get the eye rolling, "you're such a loser" attitude from my 14 year old. But then again, that's part of the fun.

I think I just might try it!

(Came over from SITS)

8:09 AM, August 20, 2008  
Blogger Kathi Roach said...

That is sweet. My daughter is also 15, so I know how these things change. You both will always remember it....I can totally picture you saying it to her when she goes to college, gets married etc....

Have a great SITS day! :)

8:40 AM, August 20, 2008  
Blogger Caroline said...

That is so sweet. And I loved your last line too. What a great idea - we can never tell our kids too many times how much we love them.

8:42 AM, August 20, 2008  
Blogger Feliz said...

My kids and I do the "Guess How Much I Love You" thing too. All the way up to the moon and back. Very sweet.

9:14 AM, August 20, 2008  
Blogger Justine said...

Aw, now this was just too sweet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! At least you've still got your 13 year old saying that she loves you! That right there is a miracle!

Justine :o )

9:15 AM, August 20, 2008  
Blogger Debbie Y. said...

My daughter is 22 and we now just try not to hiss at one another, wish I could go back to the days of I love you more, or I will be glad when she has a kid and realizes just how much her 'ole mother really loves her.

9:18 AM, August 20, 2008  
Blogger kmm0305 said...

I just read this after sending my oldest daughter off to kindergarten on the first day. I hope we are still signing "I Love You" (our little family tradition) 10 years and beyond from now! :)

9:20 AM, August 20, 2008  
Blogger Linda S said...

This is very sweet...what a great relationship you have.

9:39 AM, August 20, 2008  
Blogger Amy said...

I tell my kids I Love You everyday too, it's very important. I didn't have a relationship like that with my parents and I want my kids to.

Have a great SITS day, the comments will be awesome.

10:23 AM, August 20, 2008  
Blogger Melissa said...

Ours is "You know what?"
"You love me?"
"Yep, I love you."

I love that my kids know that everyday.

10:26 AM, August 20, 2008  
Blogger Belle Adorn said...

Such a sweet story.

My ten year old daughter has a bedtime goodnight ritual that drives me insane! She must say it to me even if I'm already in bed with my lights out.

I should cherish it while I have it.

It's wonderful you still tell each other every day 'I love you'.

10:29 AM, August 20, 2008  
Blogger thotlady said...

Congratulations on being the SITS featured blogger.

You are lucky, my mother and I never exchanged "I love you's" when I was growing up.

We do now though, mostly when I end a phone conversation with her. She lives in the Midwest and I live on the east coast.

10:38 AM, August 20, 2008  
Blogger ♥ Becky ♥ said...

That is awesome. My daughter and I don't say silly things like that anymore either, I guess being almost 17 will change you. But my 10 yr old son and I still do this. And it happens every night at bedtime. But like you said as long as they are still saying they love you it's worth it.

Congrats on your SITS day!!!

11:00 AM, August 20, 2008  
Blogger sassy stephanie said...

Sweet story. My oldest is 7.5 and we do something similar that started after reading one of her fave books, I love you this much. *sniff sniff

11:13 AM, August 20, 2008  
Blogger katylinvw said...

very sweet! it is precious when a teenager still tells her parent that she loves her!

11:21 AM, August 20, 2008  
Blogger Jenni said...

I think this is funny because it reminds me of many of the little games we play in our family. I have to say it is great your teenager is close to you like that. So many aren't

11:22 AM, August 20, 2008  
Blogger serra said...

that is very sweet and a competition you'll never forget!

11:24 AM, August 20, 2008  
Blogger Lisa@BlessedwithGrace said...

Love it. Congrats on the SITS feature, today.

11:35 AM, August 20, 2008  
Blogger Ronnica said...

I'm competitive too...it'll be interesting to see how I am with my children!

12:15 PM, August 20, 2008  
Blogger Melanie Dickens said...

So sweet. That is the kind of competition you want to have with your kid.

12:32 PM, August 20, 2008  
Blogger Rhea said...

That's such a sweet game. EVERYTHING in my house is a competition. I have boys, and they turn everything into who's winning or not. I swear. It's exhuasting!

1:13 PM, August 20, 2008  
Blogger Brad's gaggle of girls said...

I have 4 daughters.
I totally understand!
And it is so hard to be in that "I want you to grow up" but "I want you to stay little" space!
I hate it!!! :D

Happy SITS day!

1:36 PM, August 20, 2008  
Blogger Stephanie said...

What a fun game to play. Yeah, I want my little girl to stay little and grow big at the same time too. She's three. I can only imagine how these feelings will intensify the older she gets.

2:07 PM, August 20, 2008  
Blogger Frizzy said...

I know you're feelin the love today. 34 comments and counting. Yeah! I love this story from your life. How sweet is that? Some day maybe you'll share it in a toast at her wedding or some other special event in her life. Thanks for sharing.

3:22 PM, August 20, 2008  
Blogger Nessa said...

How sweet!

I dread the day when my little girl is too cool to tell me she loves me anymore.

3:23 PM, August 20, 2008  
Blogger Kimba said...

That's a very sweet story. My older son and I used to play the "I love you, watermelon" game. It started with a regular "I love you" then would go to "I love you, pineapple", "I love you strawberry". We'd continue through all the fruits we could think of. I'm not sure how it started but we had fun with it.

Hope you're enjoying your SITS day.

4:06 PM, August 20, 2008  
Blogger Jess NBP said...

AWESOME GAME!! LOL Things teenagers just grow out of.

4:33 PM, August 20, 2008  
Blogger Michelle said...

Sweet... I have boys, who are all about competition -- bigger, better, faster, etc.

But, competition aside, it's definitely more important that you tell each other I Love You as often as you possibly can.

4:42 PM, August 20, 2008  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

That was a great post. It was a pleasure visiting. Congrats on the SITS feature.

5:18 PM, August 20, 2008  
Blogger WheresMyAngels said...

Your daughter is now 15 and you don't play games anymore?? At that age, is typically when the mind games start!! lol

7:08 PM, August 20, 2008  
Blogger wendy said...

growing up, we never said 'i love you' to my parents, nor did they to us. i make a point to say it to my kids EVERY DAY...multiple times. same with The Husband.

I love your ritual and am sorry it has not continued.

7:59 PM, August 20, 2008  
Blogger Shannon said...

Great post! My girls and I usually just go like this:
I love you
I love you more
No, I love you more
I love you mostest!

7:59 PM, August 20, 2008  
Blogger cricketphx said...

So sweet! Right now between my 7 year old boy and me it is - I love you, I love you more, I love you most, I love you to the Moon and Back!!!

8:30 PM, August 20, 2008  
Blogger S Club Mama said...

What a sweet ritual. You should just play the game one random day; I bet she'd love it.

8:59 PM, August 20, 2008  
Blogger Hillary said...

Aw yeah, my seven year old and I do the same thing. Not too competitively, but the whole "No, I love YOU more...well, I love you the MOST!" and back and forth, etc.

My kindergartners (I teach) last year would do the same thing with me, too. I'd be doing something like passing out their snack and a little voice would spontaneously say, "I love you Ms. B." And I'd reply, "I love you MORE." And they'd argue, "I love YOU MORE!"

What IS it with that? :)

Cute post.

8:59 PM, August 20, 2008  
Blogger Andie said...

We have a similar game...

I love you
I love you too
I love you more
I've loved you longer
I've loved you longest...

9:07 PM, August 20, 2008  
Blogger Rachelle Lynne said...

Cute!

9:44 PM, August 20, 2008  
Blogger Party of 5 said...

LOL well this beats my race with the Princess in who can eat the corn on the cob faster.

Happy SITS Day!

10:20 PM, August 20, 2008  
Blogger Just Lisa said...

How cute! There's nothing wrong with a little competition, the important thing is that you love each other.

And here's our game...

Guess what?
What?
Chicken butt!
Guess what?
What?
I love you!

10:47 PM, August 20, 2008  
Blogger Briana said...

This is adorable. I'm so bummed you don't do it anymore. I guess all kiddos grow up some time :(

11:05 PM, August 20, 2008  
Blogger Tiffany said...

That is s.w.e.e.t. I love that you are questioning why you must compete.. hahahahahaha.

11:18 PM, August 20, 2008  
Blogger Michelle said...

Boy that must be an epidemic! Our family does something very similar, and it sounds like lots of other people do, too! Good to know your daughter still loves you -- or that you still love her at 15 ;)

Congrats on your feature!

11:35 PM, August 20, 2008  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Such a sweet story...we do it too except we stop at four
I love you
I love you too
I love you three
I love you 4 ever!

12:34 AM, August 21, 2008  
Blogger mrsmouthy said...

Awww. There's this darling book you should check out called "I Love You More" by Leslie Parrot...although I'm not sure if it will help or hinder your situation!

4:30 AM, August 21, 2008  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Awww....what a sweet ritual!!!

8:46 AM, August 21, 2008  
Blogger Tracy P. said...

Glad that the "I love you" part is what survived! That is so cute.

2:56 PM, August 21, 2008  
Blogger Sunshine said...

I.love.that. I love the control thing and get it very much. :)

Our thing is--

I love you more than all the stars in the sky...icecream...pizza...bubbles...puppies...lollies...sleeping...rainbows...Christmas...etc...

3:06 PM, August 21, 2008  
Blogger Rela Pantaleon said...

Indeed, the best part - I love you - stuck!

I like your vision for your daughter to become a strong, independent young woman. Go, mom!

8:23 PM, August 21, 2008  
Blogger Unknown said...

Three of the most important words in the English language !!! :-)

Sweet post..

1:56 AM, August 23, 2008  
Blogger Untypically Jia said...

That's adorable!

7:28 PM, August 27, 2008  

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