The Daddy Box

Shortly after my girls and I moved in with my new husband, I decided we needed a safe place for Nicole to keep the cards and letters she received from her Grandparents and occasionally her Father.  Even though they live only 2 hours away, the mail is their only means of communication.  In the beginning these letters came quite frequently, and they started to pile up around the house.  So we went box hunting!  Back then Nicole was 6, so she HAD to have a Disney Princess box.  I found a beautiful, shiny Princess box adorned with gold plated corners and handles.  We named it The Daddy Box. 

The Daddy Box sits on the top shelf in my girls bedroom closet.  It is almost full of cards and letters now, as it has been sitting there for nearly 4 years.  The box comes out occasionally, but it is rarely to reminisce.  It saddens me to say that it only comes down from the shelf when my girl is having a bad day or has just been reprimanded for doing something wrong.  I hate that The Daddy Box has become her outlet when she is upset.  That was never my intention. 

This weekend was no different.  The Daddy Box made its appearance when Nicole was grounded to her room.  She typically does not take her ADHD medicine on the weekends, and this day had been hard for her.  By the way, she's had all A's & E's in conduct since being diagnosed with ADHD and starting on the lowest dosage of Vyvance.  We send her to room sometimes to cool down and re-focus on what's important.  It was only for an hour, and she needed to clean her room anyway!

This weekend The Daddy Box experience had a new spin.  My youngest Daughter Reese was sucked into the box as well!  As she asked me to read her card after card (I could keep going here=), I knew she had absolutely no idea who the cards were from.  I read who signed each card, but <Please don't judge me here> since she has another Mee Maw, Reese just assumed the cards were from the Mee Maw she sees every week.  I let her believe it.

Should I feel guilty for not explaining who the cards and letters were really from?  I truly wasn't in the mood for that discussion.  Isn't she too young at 5 to understand anyway?