There are so many things to delight in, watching little ones grow. All the first milestones – like their first words, first steps, first laugh, first time using the potty. And there are also all the oopsies, or outcomes children can’t anticipate as they attempt to be grown-up. Things that come to mind include trying to dress oneself only to get tangled up in our clothing (head in the sleeve hole), trying on Mom’s make-up and using a bit much lipstick or mascara, using sharpie markers to make your own homemade tattoos, and cutting your own hair – botching it—then realizing you can’t put it back. I can personally say that all these fiascos occurred when my daughter and oldest granddaughter were growing up.
My two youngest grandchildren (ages 2 and 3) are just beginning to explore their independence and associated oopsies. Sometimes the disasters that occur are impossibly messy and highly annoying, but most of the time they leave us laughing, for we all can relate and know that oopsies are a fleeting part of our childhoods. And sometimes, the oopsie cover-ups are the most hilarious of all. I’m reminded of one such event when my daughter was two or three. I had taken her to visit my grandmother (her great grandmother). I don’t remember letting her out of my site, but apparently, I did and she found a few moments to wander and get into trouble, unbeknownst to us. That evening, after we had returned home, my grandmother called me and told me that a pair of her false teeth were missing. (I guess she had two sets.) She asked me to ask my daughter if she knew anything about it. I couldn’t believe she would, but to my surprise she hung her head and immediately confessed. She had found them soaking in a cup in the bathroom and was mesmerized by the thought of teeth that weren’t part of someone’s head. Who could blame her? She even tried to fit them in her mouth to see how she would look, but they didn’t fit. Knowing it was probably wrong to mess with them, and not wanting to get in trouble, she hid them under grandma’s bed. I reported it back to my grandma and sure enough, that’s where she found them and we all had a good laugh. That incident initiated a discussion on dentures and why Grandma kept some teeth in a cup. So, all in all, the whole oopsie experience became educational. Oh, how I miss those wonderful innocent days of her learning how the world operates.
I recall a few oopsies of my own. One was when I tried to use my mother’s razor to shave my legs when I was about ten years old and emerging from the bathroom with a million little cuts. And then there is my earliest oopsie from before I could walk. I was crawling around on our screened-in back porch when my grandmother saw me chewing on something. She stuck her finger in my mouth and fished around, pulling out a mangled June bug. Hence forth her pet name for me, “June bug,” which my brothers still call me from time to time. For this month’s book review, check out Baghead by Jarrett J. Kroscoczka under the Recommended Reads section of the blog. You’ll also find a project for Baghead Fun under my Activities section.
Little Seeds Read 