Hina-sama

Yesterday my mother-in-law presented me with a couple bags of arare, round pastel rice snacks, for Lilia's Girl's Festival dolls. I think she was trying to tell me that it was time for us to put up the display. She's the one who paid the thousands of yen for the dolls, so it's hard to let the holiday slip by.

So anyway, yesterday, I dragged all of the boxes out of the closet and Lilia and I set up the dolls. When she was a baby, I used to get all upset when she'd touch them or knock them out of alignment. The plum blossoms had to be on the lower tier, angled just so, and the courtiers had to be on the second tier in just the right order. It all had to be exactly like the picture that came with the dolls!

I'm happy to say that I've lightened up considerably. This time, we didn't look at any photos or diagrams. I let Lilia put the dolls where she wanted, more or less, and touch them as much as she liked. They're hers, after all, and no one enjoys them as much as she does.