Paying Attention

Christmas long weekend just washed past us. We spent some time going around and admiring Christmas lights in and around the city. Every time we'd be driving some place and I'll see some cool lights, I would point it out to Miss Gugu:
"Gugu! Look! Such beautiful lights on the right!!"
"Where?"
(Never mind, moving on..)
After a few minutes:
"Gugu, look on the right, beautiful reindeer!!"
"Where? Where Momma"
"On the right Gugu!"
"Is that the right?" (Pointing to some unknown direction from the back seat in the dark.)
After several such drills I'm exasperated.
I explain again which side is right and which side is left.
And then I remind her to pay attention.


A few days pass, and we're back traveling some place and I spot some cool Christmas lights on the way.
"Gugu! Look on the right, gingerbread man!!"
"Is that the right?"
"Yes" (I think so, anyway).
"Mumma, am I paying attention? Am I paying attention Momma"
I am too tickled by the question to remember the lights anymore!
"Yes, Gugu, you sure are!"
:)

Brave Heart

Miss Haana and I went to a mall today to pick up something for me. It was supposed to be a quick, targeted trip. The little girl looked down from the third floor and looked at the ice skating rink on the first floor and had the all too familiar sparkle in her eyes. 

We headed down to check if they have any age limit for the skating rink. They gave me their smallest skate and told me if this fits, the little girl is good to skate. It fit! So we rented some skates and were good to go.

They had a section of the rink with a rail so I could hold Miss Haana's hand and walk along with her- me outside the rink, she inside. It was slippery for her initially. We started off with me holding both her hands. We went back and forth a few times and soon I was holding only 1 hand.

A little girl (much older than Miss Haana) came by several times to tell me and Miss Haana that she was doing really well! She came by to hold her hand and walk/skate with her too. And she told her how to step and how to balance herself and then slide her steps. The little girl and I went back and forth a few more times. 

And soon, she didn't want to hold my hand anymore! I was scared because I wasn't on the ice, and I wondered if she fell down in the ice and I could reach her- then what? But no such thought bothered my brave little girl. She went a little away from my reach and pulled up her hands in a ballet pose! And then she walked slowly to a small pink circle projected by the overhead lights on the ice, and looked and me and told me it looked like an 'O'. I agreed. 

She started to slip a few times, but regained and was fine.

I was so amazed and proud of her! She did awesome, and I can't help but brag about it! 

I should probably confess at this point that my own past endeavors in ice skating are not as inspiring. I had tried ice skating by taking a lesson long time ago. But I had had a couple of bad falls and landed on my elbows. The evening ended in the ER and both elbows being in a cast - one for 1 week and the other for 4-5 weeks. I never stepped on the rink again. Today when I saw other kids possibly first timers get in on the skating rink with trepidation but egged on by their parents who were on the rink, wearing their skates, right behind them; I felt a tad sad.

I had told the little girl before we got into the rink to not be scared and be brave- not give up, even if she falls. And indeed our first skating rink experience ended with her being the brave one, and her Mumma being the scared kitten. I guess I should look into getting some elbow pads for me.