The Pinky Promise

Lets Go Outside
Originally uploaded by Xena~

Ariel wanted to stay overnight with grandma and have a sleep over. Of course being a good grandma, I relented.
BUT
I invoked the 'Pinkie Promise'. Ariel wasn't going to stay until Sunday night so Saturday when she came over, we went for a little walk by the 'big' scary woods. I knelt down on the ground and had the following discussion with her.

Ariel, I have a special thing for just you and me...it is a secret. But before we go into that there are a couple of things you must do for mom and dad in order to come and spend tomorrow night with me.
Ariel frowns.
What you have to do is take a nap with NO fussing what-so-ever today on Grandma's bed when I tell you it is time to take a nap, okay?
Ariel shakes her head up and down--so far so good.
Tonight Ariel when mom and dad take you to Great Grandma's house, there must be absolutely no fussing or misbehaving about going to bed.
Ariel is now getting nervous, this is a lot of stuff for a girl who will be 4 in a month and a half.

Okay, Grandma, I promise...I will. Ariel tells me.

Ah but Ariel we have a very very special way of keeping promises just between you and me, I tell her. I raise my hand and stick out my pinkie finger.
Somberly I say,
We must take the Pinky Promise Shake.

It takes Ariel a moment to figure out how to make her pinkie finger stand up...then we
shake.
And the Pinky Promise is now valid.

To Ariel's credit, she did not reveal any portion of her Pinky Promise...nor what our special shake was all about when we parted ways later that night. She reached out to hug and kiss me then stood back a bit and lifted her hand...with the Pinky out.
We shook.

And she kept her promises.