An old country interlude
Helena and I are in Belgrade (Matei joining us later on today) where we have been frolicking in the heat and having a wonderful time despite watching Djokovic painful loss at Wimbledon yesterday. Helena incidentally only proved what astar she was by entertaining herself while adults were glued to tennis, and then going around patting us on the head and saying “Don’t worry, everything is going to be all right”.truly spoken child, truly spoken
My mother’s dog has had six puppies (now a month old) and Helena has been bowled over by this in-house petting zoo. The puppies are submitting to her non-stop love with good grace and appear to have no objection to getting carried around all over the place, having their mouths wiped with paper towels after meal times, or being treated to many rousing rounds of wheels on the bus and hop little bunnies hop hop hop.
I always find it hard to talk about the sheer joy, the heart-bursting delight of my daughter because I fear it reads as a critique of my son. My children are both wonderful in very different ways and I am equally proud of both. Matei might be a challenging kid but he is my challenging kid, and although being on the receiving end of that termendous will and brain is a great trial to me when I am tired it is also what I adore about him. I should also probably start paying him for providing me with so many years of rigorous training in the practices of Family Therapy, Advance Negotiation and Non-Violent Resistance.
Helena on the other hand has provided me with almost non-stop training in playfulness and joy. Her self-contained, self-generating sunniness begetsbwolescale adoration from people around her. She makes people happy and relaxed and her tantrums (though impressive in volume and dramatic execution) are few and far between.
I always dreamed of having a daughter, but I never would havebdared dream I eould have one as naturally delightful as her.
My mother’s dog has had six puppies (now a month old) and Helena has been bowled over by this in-house petting zoo. The puppies are submitting to her non-stop love with good grace and appear to have no objection to getting carried around all over the place, having their mouths wiped with paper towels after meal times, or being treated to many rousing rounds of wheels on the bus and hop little bunnies hop hop hop.
I always find it hard to talk about the sheer joy, the heart-bursting delight of my daughter because I fear it reads as a critique of my son. My children are both wonderful in very different ways and I am equally proud of both. Matei might be a challenging kid but he is my challenging kid, and although being on the receiving end of that termendous will and brain is a great trial to me when I am tired it is also what I adore about him. I should also probably start paying him for providing me with so many years of rigorous training in the practices of Family Therapy, Advance Negotiation and Non-Violent Resistance.
Helena on the other hand has provided me with almost non-stop training in playfulness and joy. Her self-contained, self-generating sunniness begetsbwolescale adoration from people around her. She makes people happy and relaxed and her tantrums (though impressive in volume and dramatic execution) are few and far between.
I always dreamed of having a daughter, but I never would havebdared dream I eould have one as naturally delightful as her.