(no subject)

[rivka]

It's such a strange process, by which children come to be like and unlike their parents. The way that nature and nurture blend and weave together, intershot with random threads from chance experiences, non-parental relationships, cultural contexts, and other even more mysterious sources. What's written in Alex's body? What are we writing into her malleable mind? What will be overwritten a dozen times, and what will be engraved deep?

I haven't the slightest idea how to answer these questions. I only know that sometimes I feel such a deep, joyful shock of recognition and connection that it takes my breath away.

Yesterday evening, Alex brought me a picture book and snuggled into my lap. As soon as we came to the last vividly-painted two-page spread, she called out eagerly, "Say the names, Mama! Say the names!"

With one arm nestling her close against me, I reached the other hand to the page and pointed: "There is the Sun, in the middle. And here is Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars..." She wiggled with happiness as I told them through two or three times.

What made this?

Comments

[filkerdave.livejournal.com]

Children never cease to amaze their parents. And we can never know what they take from us.


Back in March I wrote this (http://filkerdave.livejournal.com/569223.html?thread=4877191#t4877191) for a friend, which expresses a little of that wonder

[rivka.livejournal.com]

Oh, wow. That's really beautiful.

[filkerdave.livejournal.com]

::blush::

Thanks

[mactavish.livejournal.com]

Just wallow in it. :)

[kcobweb.livejournal.com]

I look at Elena's long legs and the mass of blond hair and her laughing face, and I think "Where did this *come* from?" I know where each of those physical traits comes from, but I can't believe she actually came from my body. And how'd she get so big? When I look at her baby pictures, all I can think is that can't possibly be her.

[micheinnz.livejournal.com]

Whereas I look at my thumping great 9 1/2 year old Agent Weasel girl with the same size hands and feet as me and think "she was NEVER that small, surely!"

[ex-serenejo.livejournal.com]

Isn't it so beautiful. One of my moments like that was when Munchkin The Elder made up his own car game when he was 3. We still play it, even though it's dead dull (and he's 17). He even named it.

[wcg.livejournal.com]

Oh, that's beautiful.

[rivka.livejournal.com]

Yeah. She's the right kid for us, all right.

You're going to love the book, too. You can see several pages of it at the author's website (http://www.gbriankaras.com/booktitles.html), but it's sort of hard to find where to look for the excerpt. You have to mouse over the little pictures until the title "On Earth" appears.

[wcg.livejournal.com]

Looks like a great little book. I can see why she likes it.

[zanawake.livejournal.com]

Happy birthday, you lucky creature.

[elisem.livejournal.com]

That is so cool!

And happy birthday!

[micheinnz.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it's interesting to look at them and see what's you, what's the other parent, what's the grandparents (boy howdy does Agent Weasel look like her paternal grandma sometimes!) and what's just _them_.

What a lovely moment you described. I wish you (and Alex) many more of them.

(And happy birthday!)