It's not you, it's me. Really.

Have you ever gone to an event and hoped someone would sit by you and then no one did?  Well, it might not be you!  Allow me to share The Top 9 Reasons I Might Not Sit By You That Have Nothing To Do With Whether I Like You.

Hahaha :) It looks like it's all serious, but just wait until you read the reasons...  I mean, don't get me wrong, they're all true reasons.  But that poster just cracks me up every time.  Photo credit to S Packwood on Flickr.

1. My nose is stuffy.

Don't ask me why, but this actually has a huge effect on my mood (without my always realizing it).  I guess because it's uncomfortable?  but it makes me irritable and impatient and I probably won't try to start a conversation with anyone under these conditions.

2. I'm having a low-confidence day.

On these days, I find it hard to be very outgoing.  Usually, I'd rather everyone left me alone while I work through my issues.

3. I'm not in love with what I'm wearing today.

Maybe I just looked in the mirror and things don't look like they did at home, or maybe everything I love was in the wash this morning.  Either way, my thoughts are on myself and hoping people don't notice the weirdness, so please understand that I probably feel too uncomfortable to put myself in a position to be seen.

4. I might have something in my teeth OR My teeth feel dirty.

You know that feeling?  UGH.  It's the worst.  Anyway, I feel like this one's pretty easy to understand.

5. You're already talking to someone.

Trying to join an already-going conversation is just the worst, amiright?

6. I need Vaseline.

Not a tube of Chapstick.  Sometimes I just NEED the slippery-ness of Vaseline.  If I don't have it, I'm extremely aware of what my mouth is doing.  Needless to say (maybe? haha:), it makes talking and especially smiling feel awful.

7. I really need the message being presented.

This applies if we're at someplace spiritual, motivational, or where you're supposed to learn stuff (like a professional conference).  It's sometimes hard for me to focus when I'm sitting by a friend who I'll be tempted to make side comments to, so if I feel like I really need the message, it's going to just be me and my journal.  No offense.

8. I'm lost in my thoughts / distracted.

I looked directly at my neighbor at the grocery store this week and literally didn't see her until she talked to me, because she wasn't the display of sparkling cider I was looking for.  So.  That happened.

9. I have to go to the bathroom.

Well, really, if that's the reason, I'm probably already there.  But if I'm in the bathroom, I still can't sit by you, right?

Moral of the story: Don't beat yourself up if no one sits by you.  If it's me who doesn't sit by you, assume my nose is stuffy or offer me some Vaseline.  You'd be surprised how often one of those is the reason.  But also, there's nothing wrong with going to sit by someone else!  Don't wait for them to come to you.  The people you're waiting for might all be in the bathroom.

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Unless you are utterly exploded, there is always something to be grateful for.

Herzog

Saul Bellow

by popular demand... video proof!

You asked!  And here's the video proof I mentioned in my last post.  Also, my family's Christmas card from a few years ago.  (Isn't my family the greatest?)  You're welcome.  Enjoy!

Explanation for the videos:
My best friend (and roommate at the time) and I both love HSM.  One day, it was such perfect weather, we decided the best thing would be to have an HSM dance party in the volleyball court.  (One thing we liked to do was sync up our ipods and have dance parties with our headphones in.)  So, the first video shows how we'd sync our ipods.  The second video shows one of our favorite parts of all the songs, all the movies.  The third video is my brother recording us from his apartment.  We didn't really think about how other people could see us or might've been paying attention, so we were completely surprised when he showed us the video he took. :)  We might be crazy, but you have to admit, we're also a lot of fun.

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She's just a teenage maniac [with her] heart out on the dance floor...

"Frequently Baby"

Mêlée

High School Musical and me

"What?" some of you may be thinking.  "How can this even be a post?"

Oh, it can be.  

As some of you may know, I love High School Musical.  All three of them.  I own a shirt, lunchbox, dishes, board game, jacket..... with HSM logos on them.  I own all three soundtracks and movies.  The first movie came out when I was a junior in high school.  I remember there being a ton of hype on the Disney Channel when it came out, and when I first saw it, thinking, "That was fine."  Then as the weeks went by and I watched it more times, I fell in love.  You better believe I was watching when High School Musical 2 premiered on the Disney Channel during my senior year.  I went to see High School Musical: The Ice Tour when I was a freshman in college.  High School Musical 3 is the first movie I ever paid full price to see in a movie theater twice.  The first time was at midnight.  I will never forget how exhilarating it was when the beginning of "Now or Never" started, screen still black, and then all of a sudden Zac Efron's face popped up.  The entire theater screamed.  We were the oldest ones there who weren't chaperoning.  It was AWESOME.  My dream is to see a high-quality High School Musical 4 come out.  

Anyway.  When I was at Girls Camp last week, I learned that many of the girls shared my love for High School Musical.  It was so great.  Impromptu HSM singing, dances, skits, quotes... We spent the entire car ride back listening to the soundtracks - yes, I had them all with me.  So.  Girls.  This post is for you.

My best friend and me during intermission of HSM: The Ice Tour, right after we bought these SWEET jackets.
I'm telling you.  It was so exciting.  It was the only time I've ever been thankful for obese children.  Without them, we could never have bought size 3XL in this jacket designed for young children.

We kissed the tour bus.  That's real love.
Also, Kenny Ortega is so great and his name was on the bus.

Check out that jacket.  IT'S SO GREAT.

We dressed up on High School Musical Day: The Day HSM3 Came Out.
(Remember in HSM3 when Zac Efron's wearing an exclamation point shirt?)

I also took an HSM lunchbox to school that day.

I've never claimed to be good at nail art.
It says, "Go Wildcats."

You guys.  Get a best friend who loves High School Musical.

If you're working at a movie theater the night High School Musical 3 comes out,
shouldn't it be a requirement that you can take a good jumping picture?

I was Gabriella for Halloween.  Check out my necklace!  It's Carrie's.
She's David Bowie, by the way.

That time our best friend sent us HSM paraphernalia from his mission in Denmark for Christmas.
Isn't this what you look like when you're singing "Bet On It"?

My scrapbog.  (It's Danish, remember?)

I have videos, too, but I think I'll save them for another day.

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"Maybe we're being punked.  Maybe we're being filmed right now...  Maybe we'll get to meet Ashton!"

High School Musical

confessional

I was looking at a blog the other night.  On the right sidebar, there was a little "about the blogger" box.  I started reading it and then thought, "No way could all this be about one person.  And why would she include that in her 'about me'?"  Scrolled to the top of the box, and it was labeled "The Confessional."

Ahh.  People can write in their secrets.

I was intrigued, so I started reading... for about 30 seconds.

YOU GUYS.  As I closed out the tab, my mind was full of the thought, "Man, everyone in the world is living a really crappy life."  The fact that my mind chose the word "crappy" is how you know how intense I was feeling - I never use that word.

My mind stayed that way for a full minute before I thought, "HELLO.  Not everyone has a crappy life, obviously.  You don't.  It's just that the people with happy confessionals aren't confessing them here.  This confessional is full of people who have created crazy problems with their own bad choices."

So, please.  I'm opening this up to the whole world.  Let's show the world that there are happy  (or at least non-depressing) confessions, too!  What are some of yours?

I felt like denying Cocoa Pebbles to my daughter at breakfast time yesterday because there was only enough for one more person and I wanted them.  But I was the bigger person and let her have them.

I don't care for Alex Boyé or Lindsey Stirling.  I feel like, as a Mormon, I'm supposed to love them?  but I don't really.

I have a week overdue library book sitting on my computer desk.  I think I just don't want to give it back?  I should buy a copy.  (It's called Savvy, for those of you looking for a good one.)

When I'm sick or my husband's out of town, I sleep with the teddy bear I received as a baby.  When I'm feeling particularly crummy, I wind up the lullaby in its back.

I have - in the past - gone months without cleaning the master bathroom.  My justification is that only two people use it, and then only once each in the morning/evening.

I have way too many under-my-jaw hairs.  Did my hormones get a jump when I turned 25 or does plucking make more grow?  [I know the answer.]

My toenail polish is usually all worn off except on the big toes.

My brain releases a TON of endorphins when I'm buying organizational boxes / drawers and first using them.

My favorite part of sending my missionary sister letters is including "Psych" quotes at the end.

I usually think I'm right.  I HATE when people try to convince me out of my obviously correct opinions.

I can't get an eyelash curler to work right.

but I rock at liquid eyeliner.  Except then it's itchy and I usually end up rubbing it off by accident.

I hate 80% of my husband's taste in music.

I'm [not purposely] really bad at borrowing stuff.  As in, if you're missing anything, maybe you loaned it to me two years ago.

I judge your grammar.

I hate hashtags, but I thought about suggesting #happyconfession if you chose to post something like this on social media.  You have no idea how embarrassed I am to admit that.  Plus, they're not all happy, so is #happyconfession really the best?  But #non-depressingconfession is so long.  #ndc?  But it's not self-explanatory.  This is why I'm embarrassed, people.

I don't take off my makeup at night.  I know, I know, my eyelashes hate me for it.

I'm more obsessed with Harry Potter and High School Musical than you even know.

Also, Oprah.

Was that too many?

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And Percy was shaking his brother, and Ron was kneeling beside them, and Fred’s eyes stared without seeing,

the ghost of his last laugh still etched upon his face.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Gaston, may I have my book back please?

As I was catching up on a couple blogs last night, I read a post whose author is trying to read more.  She ended the post with this statement: "I always have good intentions when I buy a book." 

WHAT?
When I buy a book, good luck getting me to do anything BUT read it.
That's why I don't buy books as often as I want to.
(That, and I'm a sucker for new [not used] books, and new books are expensive.)

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“Do not pity the dead, Harry.  Pity the living, and, above all, those who live without love.”

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

If I could talk to my younger self,

these are the appearance-related things I would tell me:

1. If you stop brushing your hair back into a ponytail (the key word here being brushing, not ponytail), you won't get those flyaways by your ears.

2. Your teeth after braces rock as much you think they will!

3. Your weight is appropriate.

4. Yes, there is a way to have a higher success rate with wearing your hair curly.  Once you figure out the trick, it's faster, less stressful, more consistent, looks better on the second day, and looks more flattering on you - all of those things compared to both how you're doing it now and straight hair.  Maybe that's why you were born with it. :)

5. What Alyssa Priest told you about blush is true.

6. I'm glad it didn't bother you when that person told you to get those above-your-eye bumps removed.  You were right - people don't really notice them, and they don't bother you when you do your makeup or start dating like that person warned they might.

7. Slip shorts are not just a dream!  They're real! and pretty inexpensive!!  Buy some.  They will make skirt-wearing much more comfortable (especially with heels), just like you imagined they could.

8. People you don't even know will tell you you can pull off red lipstick.  Use that information however you want.

9. Hair stylists will tell you that bangs flatter your face.  That's true, but also be aware that you usually hate having them in your face.  Don't cut them so short you can't pin them back.

10. It sounds cheesy, but you will learn a lot from watching "What Not to Wear."

11. Don't waste time on cheap eyeliner pencils.  Go straight to Maybelline Define-A-Line (which is also pretty cheap).

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"Are you planning to follow a career in Magical Law, Miss Granger?" asked Scrimgeour.

"No, I'm not," retorted Hermione.  "I'm hoping to do some good in the world!"

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

but what do I DO?

When I was 15, I was in an accident on a church youth trip.  I miraculously escaped practically unscathed, with just a few bruises and needing a few stitches in my elbow. After the accident, I was given a priesthood blessing  in which I was told that, were it not for the intervention of angels, I would have died in that accident.

In the year or so that followed, I often wondered why I had been saved.  Did I have a special purpose in life waiting for me?  What would I do that would be worth saving me for?  What was I doing now to show I was thankful for the gift of being alive?  It's been ten years since that day, and I still think about it often.  Whenever I make new friends, start something new, finish something, or give advice, I think about it.  I think about things I learn from those people and experiences, but mostly I think about the influence I have on those around me and try to make sure it's a positive one.  

I think a little about milestones I've reached, but I prefer focusing on people.  I don't think my life was spared so I could graduate from college; I think I'm here to establish good relationships with people.  When my students tell me how much they love me, I ask myself, "What would their Spanish education be like if I hadn't been here?"  I know they would've been fine, but I'm thankful for what I've been able to teach them.  I think of my husband, to whom I'm so happy to be married.  I think about my family and fun things we've done together in the last ten years.  I often think, "Maybe he / she / they / that experience was why I'm here."

I strongly believe this is something we all should do - often.  Think about why you're here.  Think about those you're interacting with.  What are you doing with your life?  Who are you supporting, teaching, loving?  Is your overall influence positive?  What are you doing - every single day - to show you're thankful for the gift of being alive?  

I like when that question pops into my head as I'm stuck in a time-wasting rut - whether with television, the Internet, or something else.  It reorients me.  

Are you stuck in a time-wasting rut?  How will you change your life so it means more?  What are you going to DO?

Focus on doing good.  Then when you look for positive influences you're having on the world, you will find them.

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“It would be nice if you stopped jumping down Ron’s and my throats, Harry,

because if you haven’t noticed, we’re on your side.”

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

alisonism #20: boggarts

Joel and I are reading Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban right now.  As I do every time I read this book or watch the movie, I think about what a boggart would turn into if I met one.  An animal, like for Ron?  A person, as in Neville's case?  Or a situation, like for Hermione or Mrs. Weasley?

I don't know what one would turn into for me.  I don't know what my biggest fear is; it would probably be similar to Mrs. Weasley's.  But I do know this:

There are two public places - extremely common places for people (including myself) to go - that I am HUGELY afraid of.  I hate going to both of them with all my heart, they're so scary.  But no one will ever know what those two places are, because I also happen to have an irrational fear of someone using it against me.  I've never admitted this fear (with the places' names) out loud and never will, just in case someone I didn't want hearing heard.  I've considered writing about it anonymously, like if someone put out a survey about irrational fears or funny quirks, but I know I never would, in case someone somehow found out which answer was mine.  

Can a boggart turn into that?

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“Fawkes,” said Harry, “isn’t an ordinary bird.”

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

#2

There's a trend on Facebook right now to write a certain number of things about yourself as a status and then give a number to anyone who Likes the status.  They use the number you gave to write their own list... and so on and so forth.

I've been avoiding Liking anyone's status to avoid writing a list, but I Liked one on accident and was the lucky recipient of the number eight.  I posted...

1. I've never dyed my hair.

2. I proposed to my husband.

3. I'm obsessed with fairy tales.

4. I have the best job in the world.

5. My favorite foods are pizza and macaroni and cheese.

6. I once won an air guitar contest during a 3-stake youth dance.

7. I'm in love with all three High School Musical movies, have been to HSM: The Ice Tour, and own an HSM: The Ice Tour jacket.

8. HARRY POTTER.

You, faithful blog readers, know many of those, but apparently no one knew about #2 because the interwebs went crazy! [I say, as if it were more than just that one status that went crazy...]  I actually thought that was something most people knew, but I guess not.  So stay tuned, blogosphere, for later this week, you will be treated to the story of how I, She, proposed to my husband.  :)  Same bat time, same bat channel.

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“There’ll be an attack a day with him gone.”

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

alisonism #18: quickly and correctly

I love this question.  As soon as I read it, I knew I wanted to answer it.  It actually took me a while to think of something to write about, though, surprisingly enough.  Not because there's not anything, but because nothing I thought of was something I wanted to write about.  After several weeks, I've narrowed it down to two things I feel like blogging about right now: cleaning a bathroom, and grocery shopping.

1. Cleaning a bathroom

not me

I was a janitor for a long time.  My family frequented a pool growing up, and when I was old enough to get a job, the pool was a good place to get one.  They liked me there, plus it was close to home.  There was one issue, though - I was way too nervous to be a lifeguard.  I did NOT want anyone putting their well-being in my care, just in case something happened and I lost my mind.  So my mom suggested I ask to be the poolhouse janitor.  It was a pretty disgusting poolhouse, I was a good cleaner, and I wouldn't be responsible for anyone else's life.  A match made in heaven!  When I called the manager and offered to create / fill the position, she was a little wary.  "We usually just have the lifeguards clean the poolhouse when they lock up..."  "I know.  That's why it stinks in there."  I got the job, I think on a trial basis.  I think she wanted to see if it was worth it to pay someone to do a job that other people were already doing.  

Ohhhhh man, was I worth it!  I was so worth it, in fact, that people raved about the clean smell when they walked in and complained when we were on vacation.  That job has gone only to my siblings since I moved away from home.   

I learned how to be an efficient bathroom cleaner at that job, and cleaning one thoroughly only takes me a few minutes.  If you're using a bathroom right after I've cleaned it, your bum is probably sitting on the cleanest toilet it's ever seen.    Whaaaaat!

Credit where it's due: We (my sisters, mom, and I) had a system worked out where, after the first month or two, one person usually worked with me (two man hours' worth of work and pay during one hour of time = more efficient).  They're really great bathroom cleaners, too.  

2. Grocery shopping

I am not a couponer.  I buy into a fruit / vegetable co-op, which costs $8/week.  We go to the store when we need milk and / or bread.  Otherwise, I only go shopping about once a month, sometimes less often.  This month I only spent $125 on a 7' receipt!  Literally.  I measured it.  And it wasn't the kind of receipt that has a million ads on it to make it longer, either.  There were 151 items and I only used one coupon (worth $5).  That shopping trip was at one store and took one hour, and we won't have to go again for a long time.  It takes me 30-60 seconds to look through a grocery ad and decide if anything's price makes it worth buying.  I plan our meals around what's on sale, and we're not just eating rice and beans over here, people!  We eat really tasty food.  I enjoy grocery shopping because of how awesome I feel afterward - I know that's difficult for some of you to understand.  But take note!  Because next time you're complaining about your grocery budget or shopping and I offer to help, teach, or go with you, now you know that I'm being serious.  For me, that stuff's fun!  :)

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"…[G]reat was her terror lest she should waken one of them.  But God helped her, and she got safely over."

"The Robber Bridegroom," Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales

alisonism #17: jazzberry jam

As some of you (probably none of you) remember from my first post ever, my favorite color is orange.  Well, I have breaking news!  This has been a long time coming.  I officially decided last Wednesday that my second favorite color is purple.  Not as in, #2, second favorite.  As in, I have two favorite colors now, and one of them is purple.  

I debated for a long time - I know I like purple, but do I like it enough to call it a favorite?  That's really commitment. 

Also, when I was like, 12, a girl who I thought was cool made fun of purple and people whose favorite color it was.  So I had some weird residual effects from that...obviously... 

Well, the votes are in!  Yes, I do like purple enough to call it a favorite color!  Not lilac-y shades, but other ones.  Aubergine, byzantine, dark magenta, dark orchid, deep magenta, dark violet, jazzberry jam, fuschia, grape's okay, Mardi Gras, patriarch, purple, purple (Munsell), red-violet, royal fuschia, violet (RYB)... Those are my favorites, using, of course, the "official" names as per shadesofpurple.facts.co.  If that's not an official website for the color purple, I don't know what is. 

To conclude, I worked hard to find some ridiculous purple art for you, made by people who are obsessed.  It's impossible to know how many times I thought, "Someone took the time to make this?" while scrolling through the entries.  Enjoy.  

It bears repeating: Someone took the time to make this?

Of course!

I really don't get this one.  What does the horse have to do with purple?

Maybe she just got this coat for Christmas.

Not much to say about this. The next one, on the other hand...

What big eyes you have! Probably because she's looking at something purple and is...

...100% purple addict!

I'll let you decide which of these comes from a salon called Glamarama.

I guess that thing in the corner could be purple. I have no idea what anything in this picture is.

Does that make me an adolescent girl?

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"And as on that account she always looked dusty and dirty, they called her Cinderella."

"Cinderella," Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales

alisonism #16: You don't have to take MY word for it...

I love to read!

When I was younger and had "first" things more often (days of school, camp, work; conversations with people at stake dances, etc.), I was always asked what I liked to do.  I was always a little embarrassed to say I liked to read, partly because there are two stereotypes for girls who like to read, and one of those is cool and one is not.  Heaven forbid I be classified by the uncool one!  :)  But I have spent the last two summers remembering just how much I love reading, and that is a lot.   This summer I read 22 books, amounting to 6072 pages, and it was incredible.

I lose track of real life when I read.  Tonight I started reading and didn't realize how long it'd been until I finished my book after midnight.  Last week I was reading at my in-laws' house and had no idea people'd been talking to me for several minutes until they were laughing because I hadn't heard them.

I connect with characters and stories so fully that I have a hard time not finishing a good book in one sitting.  How is everything going to resolve?  Will they be happy?  Will my emotional investment have been worth it?

Then, when I finish a good book, it takes a while for me to get back to real life.  Like, sometimes half an hour to an hour, which seems pretty long to me now that I think about it.  But when you're that invested in something, it's hard to just put it aside for something like eating dinner or going to sleep!

Anyway.  Here's a list of the books I read this summer (between May and August) and which I'd recommend.  Try out a couple!

(sorted by when I read them) (Beware: Several of these are first books of series.  I refer to this summer as The Summer of Sequels because of how many series I unknowingly started.  You might look into whether you have access to the rest of a series before starting the first book of one, just in case your library is also tiny and charges $3 per interlibrary loan.)

The Two Sisters of Bamarre	Gail Carson Lavine	239	yes
Cinder	Marissa Meyer	387	YES
Leverage Point	Gerald N. Lund	288	It's a little tough to stay engaged in, but it was pretty good.
The Body Electric	Allie Duzett	239	YES!
Stork	Wendy Delsol	357	YES! There were a couple parts when I was afraid it would get inappropriate, but it didn't. At the beginning you know something inappropriate happened, but it doesn't say exactly.
The Cupcake Queen	Heather Hepler	242	yes
Tankborn	Karen Sandler	370	yes
The Haunted House Kid	Matthew Gary Milam		NOOOOO! I couldn't even read a full page. Grammar - bad. Layout - bad. Design - bad. Writing - horrible. Doesn't flow at all. Couldn't get past the horrible writing to get to the story. And I have a high tolerance for bad writing.
Prayers for Sale	Sandra Dallas	352	maybe - it depends on who was asking. It's set in Civil War times and has a lot of sadness in it. It also only kind of has a plot. Pretty good, though.
The Goose Girl	Shannon Hale	383	yes. very good.
The Selection	Kiera Cass	327	yes!
Found	Margaret Peterson Haddix	314	yes.
Double Identity	Margaret Peterson Haddix	218	yes. interesting twist!
Sent	Margaret Peterson Haddix	313	yes.
Life As We Knew It	Susan Beth Pfeffer	338	probably. It's sad - the world ends and things never really turn up. decent ending. realistic situations. - good writing.
Glimpse	Stacey Wallace Benefiel	261	no. fascinating premise, but there's too much inappropriate at the beginning.
Every You, Every Me	David Levithan	248	depends on the person. pretty dark - as in, you don't know if he's schizophrenic or something, dark. draws you in, though.
Don't Die, Dragonfly	Linda Joy Singleton	269	yes
The Only Alien on the Planet	Kristen D. Randle	228	Wow. Holy crap. That was a good book.
The Leap	Jonathan Stroud	233	no. boring
First Impressions	Marilyn Sachs	112	how a girl came to appreciate the book Pride & Prejudice - meh. It's fine.
Breaking Beautiful	Jennifer Shaw Wolf	354	yes, to a more mature audience. about the mental after-effects of physical (not sexual) abuse by a boyfriend.

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"If we don't tell strange stories, when something strange happens we won't believe it."  - Shannon Hale, The Goose Girl

garbage

This week saw a big day for me!  Thursday was the first day I made something for dinner that was gross enough for me to not finish it.  It took me five years of cooking for myself for that to happen!  

That wasn't the only big thing, though.  Not only did I not finish my food, I also faced my fear of wasting food (which is a completely reasonable fear and one I will not be abandoning) and threw it and all the leftovers away.  Even though it was food.  BUT I knew neither of us would eat it, and it was either going to be thrown away tonight or in three weeks when I clean the fridge of rotted leftovers.  So I bit the bullet, trashed it, and it was actually kind of freeing!  I didn't even let myself feel guilty for it.  (It was pretty gross.)

I also learned an important lesson for the future - we typically don't really like meat that has been baked in juice.  Baked, not crockpotted.  A while ago we tried baked blueberry chicken - didn't love it.  Tonight's was baked cranberry pork - yuck.  But neither time was it about the taste - both tasted very good; it was all about texture.  I've learned if I want to make food like that, I need to cook the meat on the stove / grill, heat the sauce on the stove, and serve it like "meat and a sauce to dip it in or put on top," because then we'll eat and love it.  

(The only exception I can think of right now is baked cranberry chicken.  I looooove that stuff.)

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"All [a child] thinks he has a right to when he comes to you to be yours is fairness.  After you have been unfair to him he will love you again, but he will never afterwards be quite the same boy."  - J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan