December 2009--Stella
at 19 months
Today is our youngest
grandaughter Stella's birthday #6. The older she becomes, the more I see Stella
exhibiting some of the same attitudes and behaviors that characterized Annette,
my late mother.
- My mother was a
master at recognizing and savoring every drop of joy in the moment. Stella,
too, is totally in the moment.
If, however, something about that moment is not
to her liking, she may become certain the end of civilization has arrived and
she exhibits her angst appropriately for the occasion.
I suspect she is already growing in her ability to handle disappointment. My mother as the adult I knew was not at all
inclined to drama. But from tiny toddler to four years old, her tantrums were
legendary, according to family stories.
She would get so mad
that she would butt her head on the floor, the ground or whatever surface
happened to be under her.
Homespun cures for
tantrums failed to faze the determined little Annette. And she did not even
need an audience to "throw a fit." One day her mother had finished the
dishes and was preparing to empty the dishwater at the base of the fig tree
near the kitchen door.
Glancing out the
window she saw four-year-old Annette throwing a doozy of a tantrum, already in
the head-butting stage. In a moment an extremely exasperated mother changed the
target for the dishwater.
She tossed the
dishwater and promptly stepped back where she could observe any reaction unseen
by her daughter. The dirty dishwater hit the tantrum pause button as it drenched an enraged
Annette's head and shoulders.
The suddenly quiet little
girl stilled. She slowly raised to her knees and peered around her. She gazed up. She looked around again. No one
was around; no rain clouds were above.There was no
hint as to the cause of the mysterious deluge.
That was Annette's
final tantrum.
Here are some other
traits that I have seen in Stella that were fully matured in her late
great-grandmother Annette:
- creating fun out of thin air;
-observing with
enthusiasm the world around her, especially people and animals;
- keen recognition of, concern for and taking action to meet the needs of others; and
-subtle, sly, persistent--but never, in
my experience, mean--teasing.
Getting to watch
children grow physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually is truly one of
the gifts that comes with being a grandparent,
February 2014—Frank and Stella
Happy birthday,
Stella!
Your writing is so enjoyable to read! Loved this story. I've always said that my mother lives on in my daughter--they have so many similar likes, dislikes, personality, etc. It's a wonder to witness, isn't it? Happy birthday to pretty little Stella. I hope she has an awesome day!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful, wonderful story about the dishwater, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Annette had a really smart mom. You are blessed to have such an insightful and glorious granddaughter.
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday, Stella!
ReplyDeleteAloha from Hawaii.
For some reason, I had pictured Stella as one of the older grandchildren but perhaps I misidentified her.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday sweet Stella.
ReplyDeleteShe sounds like a charming little girl.
I love the stories about your Mom and especially about the tantrum ending deluge.
What fun this one must be. You leave me smiling this day. Happy birthday, Stella.
ReplyDeleteThey sure do grow up in a hurry. Happy birthday to Stella.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed 'the dishwater story' about your mother :) I always loved hearing old stories, and it's one of the things I miss most about our parents being gone.
ReplyDeleteStella's simply precious, and I'm sending her belated birthday wishes through you!
Happy birthday indeed. And fond memories to go with it...:)
ReplyDeleteI'm officially worried about you. You haven't posted for a very long time. Hope you haven't had another stroke. I'm keeping you in my thoughts.
ReplyDeleteI'm worried about you too, Linda. You haven't posted for a long time.
ReplyDeletePraying all is well and you are just on a trip to see the Grands...