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| CC looking pensive at a local greenhouse |
While I was pregnant with the Brat, descriptions of motherhood that were proffered by one and all sounded a lot like simple cliché. "You won't remember your life before the children" was a common description. One mother who knew she had made a wrong decision vis-a-vis her teenaged daughter told me "you will do anything for your babies, even when they grow up." I think I scoffed at that one. Then just the other day, it happened to me. My life became one of the motherhood clichés I had heard.
The Brat and I were leisurely strolling through a park after a quick grocery run. She was in the stroller, looking out for squirrels and birds. She spotted a squirrel, but it was a distance away. I instantly remembered that I had picked up some nuts at the grocery store, and despite being aware of a prohibition of feeding animals in this particular park, I threw a few nuts approximately one meter in front of her stroller. Three squirrels approached, and munched away on the nutritious offering, as my daughter squealed with delight. The rodents remained for about 15 minutes, and the baby was riveted for the duration. We headed home shortly thereafter, and I found myself puzzled by my actions. Why had I broken the law? While certainly unlikely to have been arrested or even fined had law-enforcement been present, had I really knowingly done something unlawful for the sheer entertainment of a one-year old? What was next?
I thought of an article (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/15/nyregion/15suit.html?_r=1) I had recently read in the New York Times about a mother who had sued a preschool for inadequately preparing her young child for the test required by New York City's private school system. And I decided that I would not become that "do anything for your child" cliché. And so since the incident in the park, I no longer carry any nuts, bread, or other food that I might be tempted to offer rodents and birds; thus in my mind, avoiding sliding down a metaphorical slope.
I thought of an article (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/15/nyregion/15suit.html?_r=1) I had recently read in the New York Times about a mother who had sued a preschool for inadequately preparing her young child for the test required by New York City's private school system. And I decided that I would not become that "do anything for your child" cliché. And so since the incident in the park, I no longer carry any nuts, bread, or other food that I might be tempted to offer rodents and birds; thus in my mind, avoiding sliding down a metaphorical slope.
Your writing style is amazing and very entertaining. I would also do anything to make my babies happy. This is a maternal instinct!
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