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“Has he rolled over yet?”
FLASH BACK - 9 years. Setting: a Starbucks in Brookline, MA. Me as a sleepy mom, computer open, trying to type, hoping baby will sleep. {Yawn} Older woman with loud voice is waiting for her coffee. Rummages through the newspapers and not finding anything she wants, comes over to chat. ”Has she rolled over yet?” {slowly raise eyes from computer screen} “Not yet.” {smile and return to typing} “She’s a small little one, isn’t she?” {Barely hide sigh. Close lid of laptop} “Yes. She’s a little peanut. Do you have any children? “Two of them, all grown up now. I’m expecting my first grandchild any day now. Won’t say whether it’s a boy or girl though. How about you? Did you tell people?” “Yes. She was the first girl in the family, so everyone was excited.” “Yeah, I wish they’d tell me. I found the cutest little stuffed animal. But I couldn’t get it because it was pink, and Lord knows if it’s a girl.” “I hope you find out soon.” {Yawn. Look down at baby and see her wiggle fingers} “Looks like she’s waking up.” {said loudly, hopefully} “Yes, yes it does.” {said softly, in resignation. Begin packing bag.} FLASH FORWARD- the present I tiptoe by the sleeping baby and haggard mom. Having answered the question from the matriarch near her, she begins reading on her Kindle again. For all I know she could be reading UNTANGLING THE KNOT. I leave her to it and distract the woman near her with a very soft question about her grandchildren.
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“Someone stole my magnets.”
I felt awfully sorry for the third grader who had created an amazing science project and then realized someone had wrecked it by stealing the key element. It is hard to fathom what one of the other students would find so compelling about a couple of magnets. But then again, I don’t often understand what goes through the minds of elementary school kids. For example, what part of putting bird poop into a mud pie is so compelling? And why would you take a water balloon onto a trampoline? And don’t even get me started about food choices? I am frequently at a loss as to why my daughter does what she does. It is certainly always a hustle to stay one step ahead of her. Take the situation where she decides she wants to cuddle up with me in bed. One part of me wants to believe it is because I am so loved and appreciated. The other, smarter, side of me knows it probably has more to do with wanting to avoid her homework or bedtime. The eyes in the back of my head thing used to be so much easier when she was younger and I knew exactly what was going through her cute little brain. Lately, though, I think she is outsmarting me more often than not. She, like all kids, may not always end up doing the right thing. But I know she mostly tries, and that is enough for me. Just like the magnets stolen from that student, there is a terrible attraction toward doing the wrong thing and it isn’t always easy to turn our backs and oppose it. The good thing is that it might be more difficult, but it is never too late, to break the connection. |
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Deanne WilstedLink here to Betting Jessica on Amazon.com Archives
June 2020
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