On the way home from the grocery store yesterday morning, as we were at a traffic light, Baby A said from the backseat, “Ooooh, Mommy! I see a beee-you-tiful steering wheel!” You do? “Yes!!! It’s pink and fluffy!!!”
Later in the morning, we went for a short walk. We passed a house a few blocks over that has a short fence around their backyard. You can see bits and pieces here and there, and it’s not what I would call “manicured”. There are quite a few trees and some tall grasses, and a number of garden statues (I guess you’d call them) in decoration.
“Ooooh, Mommy! That looks like a beee-you-tiful forest!” Baby A remarked.
I didn’t see the steering wheel Baby A was talking about, but I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have gasped at its beauty. And when we walk past this particular house in our neighborhood, I actually wince a bit, thinking there are surely critters in those grasses…things I don’t want to think about in our suburban neighborhood.
Still, I work hard to remind myself not to share my jaded judgment with the girls. I understand how pink and fluffy equates with something beautiful to a three-year old’s mind...how a shady, overgrown backyard looks luscious and inviting, the stuff of fairy tales.
It dawned on me that this is not unlike my protective stance of the rat species a couple of months ago. I want the girls to form their own opinions about the world, particularly when it comes to benign things like steering wheels and landscaping.
And it’s a pretty sweet reminder for me that it’s OK to like some books, just judging by the beauty of their covers.
…as long as the girls don’t insist on gifting me a pink fluffy steering wheel cover for Mother’s Day, that is.
Ticker
2 comments:
Haha! A few months ago, one of my girls oohed and aahed over some beautiful sparkly diamonds decorating the street (broken glass from a wreck) and it made me laugh. They do see the beauty in things that we may not see at first.
And, I bet if those precious girls got you a pink fuzzy steering wheel cover, you'd display it proudly. ;)
ha! do you ever read Dooce? this makes me think back to a post of hers YEARS ago when her daughter told her she looked BEAUTIFUL!!! She was so touched by her appropriate use of this new word. about 10 minutes later, at lunch, she then expressed that she like her burrito...that it was beautiful....ha!!! I still laugh about it when I think of it!
Post a Comment