Language, ponies and falling buildings (01/19/2009)

"I'm not a kid. I'm a GIRL!"

"I'm not wearing a birthday suit. I'm NAKED! See!"

"Mo-om, it's NOT pop, it's Coke."

"The first time someone asked me if I wanted a pop I thought they were going to hit me."

Three-year-old Emma, our only grandchild, made the first two statements. My daughter made the third one and the last is a paraphrase of a discussion with her friend.

Those were just a few of the things I learned last week. Even in this age of television, all colloquialisms have not been lost. The accents may not be as pronounced as they once were but I was cheered to learn that all the local quirks are still a part of the language. All three of them also speak a smattering of Spanish but I guess that is to be expected in Texas.

I learned how to play My Little Ponies. Apparently the ponies bake cake, make candles and ice cream and also fly. Sometimes they dance.

Emma and I played ponies several times and it was the same each time. "I'll make the cake," says one pony in Emma's voice. "I'll make the candles," says the other pony, also in Emma's voice.

My ponies were assigned ice cream making. We were to make pink and orange ice cream. If my ponies wanted to make anything else they were quickly reminded that they were to make ice cream. At first I mistakenly ate my "cake" before it was cut. Oops. I eventually learned my lines and didn't have my ponies eating invisible things before they were supposed to or making anything besides ice cream.

I miss playing ponies.

Emma is a unique child, as all children are. She is a girly girl. Her usual attire includes a crown, one or more necklaces, the gaudier the better, and several bracelets. She likes to wear her princess dress over her other clothes. She has an affinity for ChapStick, applying it several times a day. She also likes purple nail polish.

I didn't see her playing with dolls at all. Most of the time she was carrying around one of two kittens or the puppy that Santa had brought. The animals were amazingly cooperative except when the puppy would try to bite a kitten while it was being carried.

Her favorite birthday gift was a pair of foam swords. Now picture it. Here is a child wearing a crown, a necklace and a princess dress over her clothes while attacking her Poppa Tom with a sword. It was hilarious.

After conquering him, she and other preschool party guests proceeded to chop the head, arms and legs off a family friend, laughing all the while. Emma's crown stayed firmly on her head the entire time. That's the true mark of a princess: the ability to behead someone without losing the crown.

We played several rounds of "Nyah, nyah, you can't catch me!" She would wiggle like an excited puppy before taking off running. Their house is set up so she can circle through the kitchen, dining and living rooms. All I had to do to catch her was to wait until she completed a lap.

I taught her how to make a cave using two chairs and a blanket. She modified the game by putting the kittens on top of the "roof" and watching them as their weight slowly lowered them to the floor. That led to her wanting to be on the "roof." I had to cradle her in my arms and lower her down then cover her completely as the "walls" fell in around her. She enjoyed the game immensely. Whichever animal she had in her arms at the time didn't like it quite so much but they kept coming back for more.

Our last day there we went to a state park. It was at least 75 degrees outside. We had a picnic lunch with some of the best fried chicken I have ever had. She had a butterfly stamped on her hand at the nature center. She petted the horses. She threw rocks in the stream. We pushed her on the swings.

Too soon it was time to say goodbye and board the plane for home. We are left with memories and lots of photographs. What I wouldn't give to have my English corrected right now instead of trying to keep warm in bone-chilling weather.

I miss playing ponies. I miss my girls.[[In-content Ad]]