In an outfit I would never pick and one she always wants, the eyes of my youngest dart between two movie cases. A duo of princesses, each the heroine of their own story, and each role models I love her idolizing. But she cannot choose. I see her mind working, back and forth, afraid to pick one over the other because dang-it, they are both great.

“Actually, I just want to take both of them upstairs,” she finally decides, not really deciding at all but procrastinating the inevitable.
“Okay, sure.” I laugh under my breath.

On my bed, the struggle is the same. Location change hasn’t made it easier, but finally she goes for it. “This one. I’ll do Brave next time.”

I love this, the way she likes more than one thing and then knows what she wants. Except it could be, that after watching the one she’s chosen, she’ll wish she would have picked differently. She may regret the yellow dress and grossly oversized Beast. She may get halfway through and think, lots of red hair and a bow is the story my heart wanted today.

Choices, we have to make them. And sometimes I want it all when only one disc can fit into the player. Other times I go for one thing and regret it or find out it was the wrong direction.

So?

Failure, we try so hard to avoid it. And why? Because it’s hard, it’s painful? But guess what, it’s allowed. It is okay to fail, have regrets. Some of the best personal growth I’ve encountered has been through failure.

“Watch.” She looks at me to make sure my eyes are not on the computer, my phone, or scrolling the pages of an electronic novel on my device. “Watch,” she says again.
I look up, arms folded to communicate that I’m not busy.
Multicolored, magical lights are sprinkling around him. His claws are turning to toes, light pouring out of every one. He’s wrapped up in his own cape, swirling.
“He’s gonna be different. Watch.”
I am, baby girl. I promise I’m here. 
Again with the back and forth of her eyes, from me to the T.V. “See?” What she’s really asking is, Mommy, pay attention so you can anticipate what I am anticipating. Are you? Do you get this about me?
She grins with her whole face when the prince stands before the princess.

It wouldn’t have mattered which one she went with, even a wrong choice can be an abundance of lessons that will change us for the better. It may hurt like hell, those bundle of regrets, but it isn’t wasted. It forces us to grow deeper roots and become better people.