bad momma

Avery comes home from school with many many many pictures, drawings and art projects. On top of the ones she does at home I can’t possibly keep them all. I make a point to make a fuss and ask questions about them and about half end up on the fridge or on her bulletin board in her playroom but the other half end up on the counter until I throw them away. Monday she came home with 2 pictures. Each was a single color scribbled on a small part of the paper. It didn’t at all look like she had taken any time on them. The artwork she is starting to bring home lately usually has more than just scribbles on it. She told me they were drawings of fall leaves. They sat on the counter and while making dinner I was going through and getting rid of lots of stuff. The drawings ended up not making the cut and into the garbage they went. Nothing different than I had done a 100 other times with other pictures. Well those must have meant something to her. She came in later and asked where her pictures were? I must have looked like a deer in headlights and I quickly said they must be on her little table. She went to look (had her back to me) while I fished them from the garbage. I said, “oh here Av, I found them.” She turned and looked at me and said “momma threw my pictures in the garbage.” I have no idea how she knew, she just did. I was horrified and felt sooooooooooooooo bad. I will NEVER do that again. All new pictures will be in the house for at least a week before they make it to the trash. John was home at the time and had his head hiding in the fridge while he laughed and listened to me dance my way out of that one.