"Baby Its Cold Outside"

It is different when you have a girl in the family. Much different. You suddenly are subjected to tea parties and baby doll events. One day you are working towards retirement and the next you are going to dance recitals. At least that is what happened to my life when Genna came along.

I always wanted a daughter. Don't take that to mean I don't love my sons. I do. I have loved them totally from the day they were born. Still I always thought we might have one more child and that it would be a girl. If you haven't learned by now that things don't always happen the way you think they will, well learn it quickly because that is oh so true.

Anyway I had to wait to have grandchildren before I got the girl in the family. She came, she saw, she conquered. She arrived like a whirlwind and she has kept us spinning ever since. She knows what is best for us, for her parents, and especially for her younger brother. Is she bossy - a little. Is she wonderful - a lot.

This past weekend she had her first dance recital. It was on Saturday and prior to the recital she was going to a Santa Claus breakfast. It started at 8:00 in the morning. My wife and I live ninety plus miles from where she lives so if we were going to make it to the breakfast we had to leave our house by six in the morning. This also meant we had to get up at five in the morning.

Generally I don't get up at five. I could actually count the times I have gotten up that early on one hand. But Genna was going to be disappointed if we weren't there, and we don't disappoint Genna. We got up at five and were there before eight.

I noticed as we were driving into Moultrie (where my son and his family live) that the temperature was in the low thirties. I remarked to my wife that it didn't seem that cold. Of course it didn't seem that cold. I was driving around in a heated car.

At ten thirty that morning when we went to the courthouse lawn where the dance recital was being held it was still in the thirties or maybe in the low forties. There was also a vicious wind blowing. Why they would have a dance recital outside is beyond me but it is tradition in Moultrie to do it this way.

I have never been so cold in my life. We sat on cement steps to watch this event and my rear end almost froze off. It was painfully cold. Still when Genna came out with her group to do the Teddy Bear dance the sun broke through and warmed my body and my soul.

It was one-two kick, one-two kick, hold up the Teddy Bear and turn around. Then they did it over a few more times. I swear my granddaughter looked like Ginger Rodgers doing that routine. She definitely has talent. And true grit. Anyone who could dance in that cold has my admiration and those three and four-year-olds did it to perfection.

I don't remember doing anything like that with my boys until they were in high school and playing football. Then we did suffer through some cold Friday nights. But with girls it is different.  They start early and drag you kicking and screaming into their world. At least Genna does.  She is the little girl I always wanted and I will follow her anywhere.

 

 

 

 

 

©2003 Jackie K. Cooper

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