Today at church I heard that indelible tale from the bible about Jesus and the loaves and fishes. As is so often the case when I go to mass, it brought things together in my mind. First, though, I should start with the confession that Clare has been driving me up a wall lately. She's a routine-oriented kid who hasn't been given a whole lot of it lately. Couple this with feeling competitive for attention with her little brother, and the results have been irritating, to say the least. While I treasure moments of play with her, I know it's important that she learn to amuse herself, something she used to be quite good at but of late seems to have slipped her mind. In California, as long as she had her cousins or friends around, she was good to go - and therefore, so was I (but when they weren't around - oy!). I was concerned how this would translate in Buffalo, where she has wonderful grandparents but no cousins and few playmates. What she does have, though, is Danny. And like the fish and bread that miraculously multiplied to feed the hoards, Clare's and Danny's love for each other and active imaginations have sprouted wings, and the results have been a joy to observe - from behind my newspaper or coffee mug! Whether they are re-enacting The Lion King (their current favorite movie, and how nice is it that they agree?) or turning Grandpa's office into their Arctic home as polar bears, they're doing it
together.
Here's hoping I haven't just jinxed it...
Today at church I heard that indelible tale from the bible about Jesus and the loaves and fishes. As is so often the case when I go to mass, it brought things together in my mind. First, though, I should start with the confession that Clare has been driving me up a wall lately. She's a routine-oriented kid who hasn't been given a whole lot of it lately. Couple this with feeling competitive for attention with her little brother, and the results have been irritating, to say the least. While I treasure moments of play with her, I know it's important that she learn to amuse herself, something she used to be quite good at but of late seems to have slipped her mind. In California, as long as she had her cousins or friends around, she was good to go - and therefore, so was I (but when they weren't around - oy!). I was concerned how this would translate in Buffalo, where she has wonderful grandparents but no cousins and few playmates. What she does have, though, is Danny. And like the fish and bread that miraculously multiplied to feed the hoards, Clare's and Danny's love for each other and active imaginations have sprouted wings, and the results have been a joy to observe - from behind my newspaper or coffee mug! Whether they are re-enacting The Lion King (their current favorite movie, and how nice is it that they agree?) or turning Grandpa's office into their Arctic home as polar bears, they're doing it together.
Here's hoping I haven't just jinxed it...
