One tries flying as the other Morphs

Sometime back I wrote on my FB status “Jo came into my room, flapping her imaginary wings wildly, jumping as high as she could while saying “ughh..mmmhph!...uuhh!” as she made each jump. Finally tired, she slumped down on my bed, folded her hands under her chin, frowned and said “it’s no use, it’s not fair. Why can’t I Fly? It’s just not fair mum.”

Well, to date Jo has tried flying by holding a bunch of wings which she’d found at a bird farm, she’s tried holding on to kites, balloons, scarves and huge papers. She's tried many many ways. Then she quit.

Well, I thought she’d quit trying forever, till yesterday. She came into my room, looked in my dressing mirror and started flapping imaginary wings again. This time, she hunched her body forward, stretched her neck forward and moved it jerkily from side to side. Then she said excitedly “See mum, now I look like a bird right mum? Right?” I was rather impressed with her acting skills and replied “Yes, you do look like a bird.”

That spurred her on, and she started jumping (or rather flying) again, from the sofa to my bed to the floor, over and over again. She did a pretty long jump and said excitedly “See mum! I did it; I stayed in the air longer this time, see how far I jumped! I'm flying!!!!”

As she continued, her energy sapped, she again, slumped down on my bed disappointed and said, “Humans are useless mum. We can’t fly, we can’t swim underwater like mermaids, and we can’t dig and stay underground. Useless mum.” Then she sighed, my 5+ year old.

I had to remind her of all the other wonderful things humans could do which birds or mermaids couldn’t do. I ended by promising her a hot air balloon ride, when one comes our way. She got carried away by this proposition and is now thinking of buying her own hot air balloon for future travel plans. haha.. :)

As for Nel, she’s metamorphosing into a preteen fast although she's nowhere near that yet.  She’s so conscious about her hair now, making sure it’s neatly combed to one side. She also wants to grow her bangs and walks with her head tilted to one side, thinking it’s lovely and elegant to hold herself that way. (This is the bad influence of cartoons!). I’ve to constantly remind her that if she continues walking that way with her head tilted she’ll end up with body aches and pain like mine.

She’s also incredibly conscious of how she speaks, and of people looking at her.  Just last week a group of her friends had a race around the badminton court to see who could run the fastest. She refused to run, conscious of people looking at her. I remember a time when I was just like her, refusing to run, trek or do anything because I was over conscious of people’s stares. I understood how she felt, yet I got irritated and told her not to be conscious. Funny how we get irritated with traits that are similar to ours, traits that remind us of our own weaknesses.

As for Nel's relationship with her little sis, sometimes Nel finds Jo’s incessant talking a tad irritating and she wants to be left alone with her books and softtoy doggie. Other times she’s like a little child again, playing pretend games, giggling and laughing with her little sis in the room. These moments when they’re together at peace, I eavesdrop and enjoy and soak in their laughter and giggles, I cherish these moments.

Well..this is where I end. I probably will not be on the net much these few weeks as it’s school break, and I’m off work. I really need the break, and it’s a relief to have these off days, coz I’m so tired from rushing constantly.  So I’m gonna cherish my hols and make the best of it.