My eight year old brought a recorder home from school last week. Actually, she brought a Ziploc bag, waved it in my face and said, “I need eight dollars for a recorder.”

I didn’t ask any questions, I simply pillaged Daddy’s poker jar of change and sent her to school with four big ones.  At least I think that’s what toonies are called around the old felt table. Felty? No?

She came home with the Dollarama recorder and proceeded to squeak out a classic, “Hot Cross Buns.”

I froze mid stir and smiled, remembering tweeting that same tune when I was about her age, when tweeting was recorder-specific and would have asked to play it had it not been immediately inserted down the baby’s throat and then onto an eager six year old sister’s cheek, all of whom wanted desperately to pipe me out of the kitchen and yet, no rats.

Then days passed–two to be exact and kids in her class were being rewarded with ribbons for perfecting Mary Had A Little Lamb. Could this be true? We hadn’t even attempted the tune and yet, the notes were surprisingly similar to those jotted on the palm of her hand for Hot Smear Buns.

I added little value to the lessons. My musical abilities, aside from perfecting Hot Cross Buns ended during my fourth piano lesson when coincidentally, I learned how to do my first one handed cartwheel, moments before the teacher would have announced my prodigy status and shipped me off to Juilliard.

Ellie became enamored with the recorder and I saw another $8 chipping away at our future winnings until she moved onto the next activity.

There I was tapping my toes to Mary Had A Hot Cross Bun while teaching Ellie how to braid.

Teaching a six year old to braid, though not as demanding as teaching a two year old how to pee consistently on the potty or teaching a four year old how to ride a two-wheeler, I can assure you is equally frustrating for both parties and I’m not kidding when I say I actually pulled some hair out by the root.

When I looked back on my day; the recorder, the braiding I had an “Ah-Ha” moment.

I’m actually a Brownie Owl.