The WGG and Me

Publish Post

Photo: Watching the WGG grow

The WGG (World's Greatest Granddaughter)and I had a movie night Saturday while her parents had laugh date with a comedian.
She is such a weed, way over the top in height for her age. It throws me off when I twist balloons for kids, I keep expecting them to be two -and -five-sixths when they are four or even five. I wonder how the world looks to someone who is that much taller than her peers? As in gymnastics class or her BFF next door, who is a year older and a couple inches shorter.
She is so serious, watching the world calmly from bottomless (and gorgeous) brown eyes, yet can burst into dance or a huge grin or giggles in an instant. She must finish one thing before starting the next. This is unteachable (totally genetic from her dad and his dad) and as her daddy says, it is best to just wait until she’s ready because not allowing her time to dot her i’s will come back to haunt you.
She has a relish for life, a healthy curiosity, is not afraid to try anything new and watches me—no, not like a hawk, not as if her life depends on it, but she misses very little, and I am often startled to hear my exact words come out of her mouth. I forget I am teaching her everything she has not done before.
Oh sure, the big things like the climbing wall at the park, I know about teaching her that (and have the pictures to preserve it) but she copies tons of little things I don’t think about. I didn’t know I go “um hum” when I finish something—until I heard her do it.
Actually, she is teaching me about me about as much as I am teaching her.
I love to see her smile and hear her giggle, which is why we go to the park where the swings are. Swings were my favorite thing well into grade school. I pumped as high as I could and dreamed of doing a 360. Whenever monsters loomed in the night, I got myself to sleep with the sensation of swinging back and forth, back and forth.
She is friendly but can play alone happily as well. Smart as a whip, she’s at the stage of saying things like “The sky is not yellow. The fog has lifted.”
Heck, I don’t say things like that now!
She has tons of gorgeous chestnut hair that is curly and the bane of her mom because it doesn’t tame well. Hard even to get a comb through. It’s been thinned and layered and pony- and pig-tailed. It has natural bangs. I always wanted bangs but my hair isn’t suited for them. Doesn’t grow forward and isn’t thick enough to not be flyaway. I hope the WGG loves her hair. It’s popular to bemoan being “too” tall or having “too much” hair, but I sense she is grounded enough to just be...her.
It took me decades to get to that point. I am thrilled she’s way ahead of me. It’s going to be fascinating, this journey we’re on together. Can’t wait for the next chapter, which, right now, is every time I see her. They are going to Hawaii for two weeks just before Christmas. Just before her third birthday. She will have changed.
Bet on it.
I can’t wait to see how.
SLI