When my oldest daughter, Norah, was 3 or 4, we started snuggling on the sofa and watching My Little Pony each Wednesday night. It was always just the two of us because my wife helped out with a youth night at our church, and she often took our older son with her. Norah would sit on my lap, leaning back on my chest, a dish of ice cream in her small hands, offering me a spoonful every now and again, breaking my diet. We kept up with the happenings of Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash and the very important Twilight Sparkle. Eventually Norah’s younger sister, Aspen, came along and, once Aspen turned 2, she began to join us for what later became known as the My Little Pony Night.
Now, listen, there have been many Wednesday nights over the years when I did not want to watch My Little Pony. As much as I enjoy spending time with my daughters, there were moments when I tried to convince them to watch something else just to shake it up. But the girls, well… they wouldn’t hear of it. They pulled me onto the couch, turned on the TV and we watched, whether I wanted to or not. And, like as many young fathers do, I groaned from time to time, maybe even rolled my eyes. Although, keep in mind, I never let on. As far as my girls knew, I was a full-fledged, hooves-in and hooves-out, brony. There were times when I suspected that Norah and Aspen assumed My Little Pony was, in fact, my favorite TV show.
But, I must say, I can’t look back on those My Little Pony Nights and not smile, feeling a warmth in my chest thinking about the absolute glee my daughters felt, both of them jumping in the living room with excitement each time we discovered a new My Little Pony movie or spin-off . Even as I write this sentence, I’m smiling. And perhaps I’m being a little too sentimental here, maybe even mushy, but I’m feeling pretty reflective because, as much as it pains me now to write this, I can see that My Little Pony Night might be drawing to a close.
You see, Norah, my oldest daughter is 12 now. She turns 13 in July, and she’s a little too cool for My Little Pony. It’s just Aspen and me now. And there’s something about snuggling with her on the couch without her older sister on the other side of me, making what the girls often called “the Dad snuggle sandwich,” that makes this whole evening routine feel a little lopsided. I mean, sure, every once in a while, Norah will join. Like when Netflix released the new movie, My Little Pony: A New Generation, she sat next to me, like she used to. But on the whole, her appearances at My Little Pony Night have become more and more scarce.
Norah’s absence has made me realize that, pretty soon, there won’t be a My Little Pony Night at all and, realizing that, is breaking my heart. Not because I love My Little Pony, but because some of the most wonderful moments I’ve had as a father of daughters is on My Little Pony Night. The show has been very relevant to my daughters and to my life as a father for nearly a decade, and, now that I know this time together is drawing to an end, I feel a sense of longing, particularly as Father’s Day draws near.
Just a few weeks ago, I saw that Netflix released the first episode of the new My Little Pony: Make Your Mark. I made it a point to tell Aspen. We were driving to ballet practice, and as I looked at her in the rearview mirror, I couldn’t help but see a huge grin across her face, blue-green eyes open wide. “Oh, Dad! My Little Pony Night!” she said with a squeal, her fist clenched in front of her with excitement, and, as I looked at her, I took time to savor the moment.
And, naturally, that following Wednesday, we sat together and watched, Aspen snuggling into my right side and each of us with a bowl of Unicorn Ice Cream (not made from real unicorns, according to the box, but with unicorn-shaped sprinkles). I savored that moment, too. And also the moment when she asked, once that episode was over, if we could watch more episodes together. In the past, I probably would have told her to wait till next week, but this time, I took advantage of her excitement to be with me, knowing that these moments and this time together are so important, not only to me but to us. ‘Totally,” I told her. “Let’s do it.” Aspen grabbed the remote, switched episodes and snuggled back into my side.
