Parenting: It's all low lows and high highs

It's been kind of rough going lately in my attempts to be a good and patient parent to my spirited 4-year-old girl. I'll spare you (and my future self) the details, because this post is all about the pick-me-up. Tonight after I told her two bedtime stories, she said with deep wistfulness and some sadness, "Mom, when I grow up I want to marry you." 

"Oh!" I said, feeling tremendously grateful that she still wants to be with me at all. "I'd love that." 

"Do you know when you grow up, if you marry someone outside your family, you have to go live with them," she said, with obvious worry. 

"Well, really we can only marry people outside our family," I said. "But you can live with me as long as you want, even when you're a grown-up." 

Then she murmured something and rolled over and went to sleep.