Two interviews: Me, through my daughter’s eyes, and her views on money, life and happiness

Today’s post is kind of a two-fer. First, I borrowed the idea of interviewing Ashar about ME from Mari at Nothing in Particular. Second, I shamelessly interviewed Ashar for a post on Man Vs. Debt, the blog for which I’m the community manager and editor, and I want to share HER fun responses because I think they give a great insight into what she has learned about life!

Mother-daughter 5K run

So, first up, let’s hear what Ashar has to say about Mom.

Me: What is something I always say to you?

Sarah: I love you. Yart!

My note: Yart is our family secret (or not-so-secret) way of saying I love you. We have our own “speak” for a few things, and we love it!

Me: So what makes me happy?

Sarah: When I give you kisses! When I’m good… when I obey. Just being around me.

My note: Well, sure!

Me: What makes me sad?

Sarah: When I bite my fingers. When I’m being bad.

My note: Yes, although I wouldn’t have expected her to say that. I actually didn’t expect her answers to focus on how she and I interacted, so that was a surprise!

Me: What makes me laugh?

Sarah: The riddles I read you out of my riddle book. Me. Daddy.

My note: They sure do. Well, at least the last two do.

Me:  What do you think I was like as a child?

Sarah: Smart. Loved to read. Loved to do math.

My note: Man, I sound dorky. If you actually want to read more about how dorky, this post is a good indicator.

Me: How old am I?

Sarah: 29.

My note: That’s too easy.

Me:  How tall am I?

Sarah: 5 feet, 5 inches tall?

My note: Like, 5’4″, so yeah.

Me: What do you think is my favorite thing to do?

Sarah: Be around me! Scrapbooking. Being around friends. Being around family.

Me: What else? There isn’t anywhere that I go, like, five nights a week, sometimes twice in a night?

Sarah: Tae kwon do?

My note: Are you serious? I just got back from being at class for THREE HOURS and I had to remind her I liked this. This cracked me up. I do like those other things too, though. This photo is of both of us early in our tae kwon do journey, back in 2010. I tested for my yellow belt on Ashar’s first day of class!

Family ready for tae kwon do class

Me: What do I do when you’re not around?

Sarah: Work. Sleep.

My note: This doesn’t reflect real great on me, does it? Also, the funny thing is – now that we’re homeschooling? There’s almost never such a time, unless you want to get technical and say when she goes to bed for the night and so do I!

Me: If I became famous, what would it be for?

Sarah: Being my mother.  Ask Joan.

My note: Yeah to the Ask Joan part. I was the polling place sensation this week at our primary, actually. It was kinda fun. And today I had a speaking engagement related to that, so I can see where she got that idea. If I’m “famous” for being her mother, though, that worries me.

Me: What am I really good at?

Sarah: Sleeping. Working for Baker. Being my mother.

Me: What am I not very good at?

Sarah: You know what, I never really thought about it. Because every time I see you do something, even if you don’t get it on the first try, you still seem good at it. Like when we were playing soccer outside with my new soccer ball, yeah, you weren’t that good at it, but you tried, and honestly, you did very good. I don’t think you’re bad at anything. I’m not just saying that to be nice, it’s true.

Mother and daughter

My note: This actually made me a little sad in a way. I don’t want Ashar to grow up thinking Mom’s good at everything and never struggles with anything. I want to do a better job showing her the things I’m less good at, though she’s certainly seen some!

Me: What do I do for a job?

Sarah: Check Baker’s emails for him. Type a lot on the computer. Be my mother, be my teacher. A lot of other things. Sometimes you go into the newspaper but not always.

Me: What’s my favorite food?

Sarah: Cheese.

My note: Uh, probably. Or products containing it. Which isn’t ideal when you’re lactose intolerant!

Me: What makes you proud of me?

Sarah: A lot of things. I can give you some examples… you teach me how to be positive about myself. You help me to learn things that I didn’t know. You’re a very good mother and I’m glad I am your daughter.

My note: OK, tearjerker. I had no idea she was going to say that. I figured she’d say that I write blogs or something.

Me: If I was a cartoon character, who would I be?

Sarah: No one. Because you are a human being and I love you, and I would not let any such thing happen to you.

My note: ASPIE LITERAL ALERT! This cracked me up. I knew when I read this question what her answer would be.

Me: So what do you and I do together?

Sarah: Read. Math. Blog posts especially for homeschooling. We play games together.

Me: So in what ways are you and I the same?

Sarah: We look alike. We’re both females. We both kind of have the same hairdos. We both go to the same tae kwon do place. Really a lot of things. We both have blankies.  

Me: Do I have to post that?

Sarah: Not if you don’t want to, just tell people don’t laugh.

Daughter and mom with blankies

My note: First of all, again with the literal; yes, we’re both female. And, yes, I have my blankie. In fact, I usually use it just like we’re pictured here, almost like a shawl or a snuggie. My dad got me this blanket – formerly a Minnie Mouse and Mickey Mouse sleeping bag – the Christmas before he died, along with my teddy bear, and yes, I’m proud to say I still have the bear too. The blanket has long since been patched by tons of meaningful things – like my high school quiz bowl T-shirt, which is the gray piece you see above. Ashar got her blankie at birth and shows no signs of parting with it any sooner than I do mine. If you laugh, try to do it quietly.

Me: And how are we different from each other?

Sarah: You like radishes and I don’t. You like glazed carrots and I don’t. You drink more soda than I can in a week. (No offense.)

My note: Really, that’s all she can think of? I laughed.

Me: How do you know that I love you?

Sarah: Because you show it in your expressions and because I know that I’m in your heart.

Me: What do you think I like most about Dad? (Chris makes a silly face as I ask this.)

Sarah: Not when he does that. Um, that he loves me and accepts me as his daughter. That he’s your husband. Because if he’s not, we got issues.

My note: This REALLY made me smile, the daughter part. I had no idea Ashar thought that, but how cool!

Me: What do you think Dad likes most about me?

Sarah: You’re cute. That you’re his wife. That he’s married to you.

My note: Ashar originally said something else here – something with a double entendre, which she completely didn’t get – and I was in the awkward position of telling her I couldn’t say that on our blog. Oops!

Me: What’s my favorite place to go?

Sarah: The Coach store.

My note: Honestly, it’s Pinchot Park or anywhere else near water, but OK.

Me: What other stuff do you want to tell the readers about me and Dad?

Sarah: That you guys make the perfect mom and dad for me and that I’m glad that I’m able to have a mom and dad like you. I wouldn’t ask for any other! And, my dad has funny puns.

Now, if you want to hear what Ashar has to say in response to some (hopefully fun) questions from me, including what her best “money advice” is and why everyone should be happy, check out her interview on Man Vs. Debt – “Conversations with my 12-year-old daughter about money, work and happiness.”

I think she did a GREAT job … and she loves that she is “famous!”

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2 thoughts on “Two interviews: Me, through my daughter’s eyes, and her views on money, life and happiness

    • She is really an interesting kind of person – very “old” and very “young” in the best ways of both. An older thought process without the cynicism, and the naivete of a child without some of the unrealistic expectations. I hope desperately that she can keep that! 🙂

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