"Push me higher!"

Not only was today the warmest it's been, I spent my afternoon with two rays of sunshine.

It was the third time I've looked after these two little ladies. I say ladies, not girls because boy do they pack a lot of attitude, the good kind of attitude of course.

I was a little apprehensive to accept the commitment of sharing every Tuesday at 5.30 p.m. with a 4 and 7-year-old. But, I'm glad I accepted the challenge.

Last Tuesday was not a good one. The youngest announced she hated me during dinner. It's interesting how quickly a person less than half my size with an even smaller vocabulary can crush me with three simple words. My big girl guts came tumbling down.

Today, was much better than the last. All of the kids in the neighbourhood were out on their bikes, including the girls. The youngest still has training wheels; but is most proud of her accomplishment in speed. The next-door neighbour's youngest boy cried to me about how training wheels are for losers and he's still got them, he's 6. Poor little lad.

After mom left there was a un-sauced spaghetti fight over dinner and then 2 hours of park play time fun. Where on more than one occasion I was instructed, "Push me higher Miss Robyn!! Push me higher!"

I suddenly felt like I heard the bells of the ice cream truck that always drove through our complex in the summers. And the taste of Tiger Ice Cream suddenly flooded my senses. This was my inner child bursting out, ready to play.

Once finally home there were popsicles before bed and then four stories read in the funny voice that they love so much.

I'll never be ready to put that inner child to bed. She’ll always be apart of who I am and who I grow to be.