Categories: uncategorized
Date: 12 March 2006 11:40:53
It never ceases to amaze me, the beguiling honesty of children. There is no adult I've met who can freely tolerate who they will and diss those they won't with eqanimity.
With kids you're either in or you're out. And while it's possible to wheedle your way into a child's affections you can't always be guaranteed of a permanent place, as capriciously as they admit you into their world they're capable of shafting you and leaving you out in the cold.
Kids have a bullshit o'meter second to none. They know if you're genuine in your interest or if you are after their affection for some other motive. If you need their affection to make yourself feel better you may well end up feeling worse than you started.
But if you are genuinely interested in them and their world you are likely to be rewarded with a prize beyond measure. A ticket to an unparalleled view of a simple life, a simple pleasure; the unbridled affection of a little person who invites you to stoop down and become part of their universe.
I have the happy knack of speaking the language of children. It has given me great joy over the years, it means I'm a hit with my niece and nephews and with the kids I sit for on Saturday evenings.
JJ, my godson, is adorable, with big blue eyes, and blonde curls you'd die to have for yourself... He's another one of the fully paid up, pint size members of the Aunty Dee Fan Club...
His mum is my best mate Kirk and she and her little fella come up occasionally on a Friday for coffee and morning tea; a good opportunity for me to down tools and have an early lunch. She called me as she about to leave the house on Friday to confirm I was still going to be around to meet them... and boy was that little man bellowing in the background... As it happened he'd been promised a visit to see Aunty Dee and when Mama got on the phone rather than into the car he made sure she knew that she wasn't moving fast enough; as if to say "Mum! We're late for Aunty Dee... get a bloody move on!!!"
So when someone asked me the other day, whether I'd be happy to live without having children of my own I had a bit of a think about it and came up with this...
The truth is, I can't believe I have this affinity for kids if I weren't destined to have any of my own and while the immediate future may not appear to be revealing a father for the kids I've already named in my heart. I'm equally convinced that the future can change in a second...
I reckon you just never know just what's around the corner...