Tuesday, December 09, 2008

Daughters

I sat next to Bob Welch at the Eugene Library's Authors and Artists Night last week. Bob and his wife have two boys and now they also have two grandchildren, the younger of which is a girl.

"Girls are just so. . . .different. . . from boys," Bob said. He and his boys are all the sort who bond by playing football and tackling each other, so having a delicate little girl in the family has been a whole new thing. He has learned to be more gentle and cuddly with her.

I told him I am happy for his wife, who must have felt very overwhelmed with all the males around her all those years.

It got me to thinking how very blessed I am to have daughters. Three of them, enough for lots of variety and fun and endless fascinating turns in the plot. And it seems that with almost anything I enjoy, I have a daughter who shares my tastes--tea, fancy coffees, knitting, cool old movies, quirky humor.

I could also go into how sweet and nice they are, and how cute, and talented, but I would soon embarrass them. But I will say this--they are all good writers and will no doubt far outshine their mother before too much time passes.

Amy doesn't post often on her Xanga but when she does, it's a treat, like this essay about her car that made me laugh the whole way through. She sounded surprised. "I wasn't trying to be funny." Well, sometimes if you just tell it like it is, it's funnier.

Emily, as I told you, is writing a book about the last year. And she just reached another milestone in her recovery. I feel really bad about this, but it didn't even register what was happening and how important this was, and I was sitting right beside her. Sometimes you're too close to the situation to really notice things.

And Jenny has sign-in lock on her Xanga so I will cut and paste a paragraph that amused me.
"I hate it when I have a tickle in my nose. Like it feels like it's gonna sneeze, but it doesn't sneeze. If you ask me, it's very weird. I get it when I'm drinking pop."

And here's a poem Jenny wrote:

"I have a sister named Emily.
We argue all the time.
She has moved to Redmond.
And she didn't do any crime."

Well, most of the time my girls are sweet and nice.

And I am very fortunate to be their mom.

3 comments:

  1. Can i say, from the other side...I have three older brothers, but they went to live on the farm with their dad before I started grade school. I think I got my tomboyness from being with them--or maybe it's just genetic, because it never wore off. I never liked all the girly things--make-up and boys and parties and crafts--and when I had my daughter, I think I was still rebelling against all that stuff and didn't do much of it with her.

    But now that I have a son--and a yard littered with Tonkas and every conceivable thing made into something totally different from its original intent--I have the freedom to do the "girly" things, and you know what? My son delights in them! He can make anything from paper and tape. He loves to bake cakes, so we do that way more than I ever did with my daughter. He is sooooo creative that I have gotten brave and we are getting more creative in our gingerbread creations...last year a train, this year a pirate ship...

    Sons are the best!! But daughters are great too.

    I'm sorry for my daughter that my son got more the "real" me. On the other hand, my daughter gets the real me now that she's grown up...And she is one of my best friends. Kids are great!!

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  2. I am one with all boys (4 plus Papa) in the house. Even the dog is male. Well, he used to be male. :O f I want female companionship, I must go out with the ducks. I just can't talk their language. :)

    Oh thanks for the Skin so Soft info. I just need to figure out how to get some.
    Kim

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  3. I have five males of all ages, including their dad. Coming from a predominately female home this was a shock, to say the least! I had to learn how males are wired and not impose feminine weaknesses on them, like my prohibition against rifles and motorcycles. And then there was one daughter and the LORD decided he wanted her so I am still left with five males.

    I love them dearly. I can easily talk their language, think like them BUT I weary of it after a while. I miss deeply the girly things my daughter and I enjoyed. I feel so alone at times. But I choose not to wallow in it and find something else to do. This is what God choose for me, so I will rejoice and be glad in it.

    Except sometimes the rejoicing gets a bit teary!

    Loved your post, BTW!

    Sandra

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