By Andrea Ahonen
Having a four-year-old around can
change your perspective on things. Amanda learned to
speak at a very early age and hasn't stopped since.
She is candid and opinionated about everything.
There has been more than one occasion when she has
loudly announced her opinions in a public place such
as the store, making me want to drop through a crack
in the tile and disappear in embarrassment.
This time, however, she chose to
speak her opinion at home.
I have always prided myself on my
youthfulness. On most occasions when I have bought
something that requires one to be a certain age, I
have been carded. The clerk often looks surprised to
find that I am nearly thirty and remarks that I look
more like I am 20 to 24. This makes me happy and I
walk out of the store with a huge grin, confident
that I will be forever young.
My daughter doesn't see it that
way, though. The other night, we were sitting on the
bed watching television and I looked down and
noticed a small bruise on my leg. I didn't remember
bumping anything and had no idea where it came from.
"Hmm," I wondered aloud. "Where
could that bruise have come from?"
Amanda looked at the bruise, then
up at me with innocent blue eyes.
"Duh, mom. All old people get
those," she said with a matter-of-fact tone in her
voice. She then turned her attention back to the TV.
They say you are as young as you
feel. In that moment, I felt as though I was at
least seventy. Then the moment passed, the lesson
was learned, and I realized that no matter how
Amanda sees me, my days aren't quite over yet.
Now if I could only get her to
understand the value of silence...
About the Author: The
author is a freelance writer currently residing in
Bradenton, Florida with her family. She posts
articles on Themestream.com when Amanda is sleeping,
which isn't very often.
http://www.themestream.com/gspd_browse/browse/view_by_tag.gsp?auth_id=35737
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