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 Garnet's
Journal
February 12, 2006
My
Shadow
Dear Reader,
There
are all kinds of families. Mine is small. I live in a
big building with my Mummy and Papi. My Papi leaves the
house every weekday to play with the kids at his office.
The Mummy has an office in the big bedroom and only plays
with me. I feel sorry for her. She must be lonely when
Papi is playing at his office. Every so often I insist
on napping with her just to give her company. To make
her feel special, I hold her real tight. I don't want
her to fall off the bed and out of the room without me.
As
much fun as she is, I don't always want one-on-one time
with the Mummy. I guess you could call it too much of
a good thing. That's why I love school. I go to school
part-time. Supposedly she works in the big bedroom office
while I'm at school. All I know is that for a few days
a week I'm free. But I'm not completely safe. The Mummy's
my classroom representative to the Parents' Association.
Every time I turn my back she's talking to one of my teachers,
or worse, one of my friend's parents.
Other
kids have sitters take them on outings. The Mummy takes
me. Most of the time I'm so excited to be at the museum,
park or zoo that I don't care if she's with me. But I
think she needs a hobby. She has too much time to think
about me and where I spend my time. That's why she follows
me around the playground. It's fun to do art projects
with her at home but on the playground a toddler needs
space.
The
Mummy doesn't always work in the big bedroom. When a job
keeps her busy outside of the house, I have a blast. My
Papi spends extra time with me or the pushover sitter
comes by for play dates. The best is when my Grams watches
me. When the Mummy is working I get all my favorite foods.
I stay up late. I even get to watch television. It's amazing.
It
wasn't always this way. When I was a baby my Mummy had
an office just like Papi. She used to go there early in
the morning after my sitter came to rescue me. She did
that for almost a year before she switched to the big
bedroom office. I think that the kids at her old office
didn't sing, dance, read, and play as well as I do. That
must be why she stays home because she spends a lot of
time doing these things with me. I don't always mind.
Although
I get tired of her, I like having her around when I'm
sick or have an ouchie. Sitters and other family members
are great but nobody beats the Mummy when I have an upset
tummy. She's always here when I'm sick. When that happens
she doesn't work in the big bedroom. All she does is take
care of me.
The
good news is that I am not stuck with the Mummy tagging
along with me forever. Big kids tell me that in a few
years I will go to school every day, all day, and she
can not follow me. Just the thought of that makes me giddy.
I
see all kinds of families around Gotham. The kids look
happy in most of them. Some families are cooler than mine.
Some seem just as corny. I can not imagine trading my
amateur parents for another family. That's because the
one thing I can count on above their silly ways is that
the Mummy is always here.
See You Later, Alligator,
Garnet (with his shadow)
See Mummy's essay: A
Womanist in the House
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