Categories: uncategorized
Date: 26 June 2007 22:35:53
I may have told you this before.
Jennyanydots was talking about the difficulty of being a slightly "different from normal" expectant mother in awaiting the arrival of a son or daughter who was slightly older than the average newborn! It reminded me of many events with my two, but especially one which happened before Smudgelet arrived into the family and when Tiddles had been with me only about a year.
We were visiting my very good friends and my goddaughters over in England - the first time we'd been to visit. It was a resounding success - Tiddles making a great hit with my goddaughters and the three of them getting on like a house on fire. On this particular day, my friend L took the younger daughter off to visit grandparents while I took my older goddaughter (aged about five) and Tiddles (about seven) to the park to play on the swings. The two were having great fun and, as children do, were pretending they were brother and sister as they played.
Along came an elderly gentleman with his 2-year-old granddaughter who was really quite agile and well-coordinated for one so small. The granddaughter, that is, not the elderly gentleman. He was somewhat less agile, though still rather well coordinated, and somewhat bigger than her. The three children played while I talked with the old man and expressed my amazement at how daring the little one was.
"She's my only granddaughter. I don't have anyone to compare her with, but yes, she does seem quite advanced to me. How old was your daughter when she first walked?"
I explained that H was not actually my daughter but was my goddaughter - although I was able to tell him that she'd been quite an early walker too. Just as I was explaining, H came running up and, continuing the game, shouted "mummy, mummy". She insisted on calling me mummy and talked to me as though that were our relationship. Extremely embarrassing as I explained that the boy was mine and that they were pretending to be brother and sister.
"Ah, so that's your son. How old was he when he started to walk then?"
Hmmmm....... so I have a girl I regard as my goddaughter, despite her insisting I'm her mother, and am able to recall almost to the day the first time she walked, and I have a boy that I claim is my son but have no idea about his development at all.. and he insists on referring to my goddaughter as "sis".
I wonder why the elderly gentleman so suddenly swept up his granddaughter and left!