Today we took the offspring out for a walk along the Charles River. There’s a great path that winds its way behind Newton and Watertown, perfect for a lazy afternoon stroll. My daughter, Emmy, saw the Polaroid camera in the car, and asked if she could take some pictures.
She might as well have asked me if it was okay to breathe.
In the past, when we’ve gone out like that, I would always gently remind her that she had a camera along for the trip and ask if there was anything she wanted to take pictures of. But then I remembered my unspoken promise to my children to never push them in any direction. So today I said nothing, and was pleasantly surprised when of her own accord, she began asking if she could use it.
Not just hold it, or have it, but actually use it. So when she spotted something, she asked for it, and then magic. Here’s her favorite, which just so happens to be mine as well.
That smudge in the lower left of the white border is peanut butter. Kids… God love ‘em.
November 15th, 2007 at 6:03 pm
Anne Frank once wrote, “Parents can only give good advice or put them on the right paths, but the final forming of a person’s character lies in their own hands.”
It would appear, amongst fathers, you may breathe easier than many. One day, trust me — that peanut butter smear will be a very good memory. Cherish it.