Little things and little people

Art and I are rather blissfully childless. Don’t get me wrong, I love children, but they just don’t fit with our life and our priorities. Because of this, I like to borrow other people’s children once in a while.

Though I get plenty of time to spend with kindergarten and 1st grade girls as a Daisy Girl Scout leader, little boys are kind of an anomaly in my life. Fortunately, my little sis has a wonderful little man named Howard who is not-quite-two.

Needless to say, I was delighted to get a text from my sister on Sunday asking if I were free to stay with Howie to give her and her husband a much-needed movie date. Though I was running errands and grocery shopping, I was happy to oblige. (My little sis works and her husband is a stay-at-home dad, and quality couple time is a rare event indeed.) Plus, I hadn’t seen Howie in a few weeks, so of course I said yes.

By virtue of being not-quite-two (almost 22 months, in official mother-speak), Howie is a bundle of energy and squirmy as a worm. Most of the time, because this particular youngster is high in demand as the first grandchild on both sides of his family, I rarely get to be alone with him. It stands to reason that when my mother is around, she naturally knows how to do motherly things and knows what to expect. Me, not so much.

Our first stop (and last, it was soon to be evident) was to the grocery store. I had seen legions of happy babies and toddlers in the child seats of shopping carts. No problem, right? Well, not quite. Howie was happy there for about 2 minutes and 12 seconds. At that point, he charmed me with his newly-uttered first word, “up,” and I fell for it. No sooner was he up then he wanted to be down, then two aisles over. His trajectory and my pursuit brought to mind a game of Frogger–carts zooming by, Howie avoiding them (or them avoiding him) rather cleanly, while I was nearly flattened several times. Hm, on to Plan B. What’s a childless aunt to do?

Off to the toy department. I soon came to realize that, when you’re not-quite-two, toys aren’t really toys for the purposes for which they are designed. Cars aren’t really cars. They are objects that should be where other objects are, and then you’re done. If they happen to appear again with the help of an adult, grab, toss and repeat. Such was the fate of several cars, a small stuffed dragon, and an inexplicable red plastic pitcher.

Out came the handbag. Keys, smartphone (which he, like many of his generation, seems to already understand with little prompting), post-its, lip balm. Another request for “up.” A little bit of fussing, which I thought I handled fairly well. A lot of end-of-the-world hugging and crying. A lot of other shoppers looking at me like I was a bad mother. (Wrong on two counts.)

I finally realized that, if I could look at the world like I was not-quite-two, this trip would be a lot easier. So I should sing all of our conversations, because songs are more fun. I should find an ordinary object that meets several goals at once (enter Ritz Bits sandwiches–tactile toys, food, and something with a lid!). And I should acknowledge that productivity and efficiency take a back seat when you’re not-quite-two. It’s not that Howie was being bad, he was just being himself: a little hungry, a little sleepy, and possibly in need of a change, in more ways than one.

We finished our visit with some playtime at home, in a relatively good mood. And I learned a pretty good lesson. I can’t wait to see what not-quite-two-and-a-half will bring.

 

Advancing the status of women locally

Last night I attended our monthly Zonta Club meeting at the Savoy. I became a member in December 2012, and have been working ever since to make a positive contribution to the activities of the club.

Getting together once a month with women who care about advancing the status of women and girls is a special treat. Aside from the pleasant social aspects of the meeting, we get to hear reports about what our members are involved with throughout the community. My co-members are women from all professions, many life stages, and all walks of life. We have commonalities and we have differences, and they’re all celebrated when we get together. It is a wonderful reminder of the diverse group of women who call our community home.

Many people don’t know the indignities that women suffer around the world, largely because the women themselves are reticent to bring it to the public’s attention. Even in our own country, domestic violence is often a secretive occurrence, only coming to light when it becomes so egregious that the woman (and/or, heaven forbid, her children) is at risk for severe injury or death. Zonta International, our parent organization, works globally to be a voice for women who are underrepresented and oppressed. Through economic, educational, health-related, legal and political initiatives, as well as programs for youth development and against domestic violence, Zonta takes a stand on many issues pertaining to the fairer sex. Scholarships are also given, in the areas of graduate aerospace science and engineering (a fellowship award named for former Zontian Amelia Earhart), and aspiring businesswomen (the Jane M. Klausman Women in Business Scholarship).

While Zonta was founded in 1919, our own club wasn’t far behind. Our chapter was 90 years old in 2012, and I am honored that women in Rome cared enough about women’s issues to form an organization that could do something about it. The Rome chapter runs the Back to Basics program for 3rd and 4th grade girls, which gives girls a safe environment to learn life skills and interact with other girls. We also support various women’s issues events regionally, including Take Back the Night (a march to raise awareness for violence against women) and the YWCA Salute to Outstanding Women. Scholarships are given each year, as well as supporting Lucy’s House and other organizations that offer help to women and girls.

For more information about Zonta International, visit their website at http://www.zonta.org. If you are interested in learning more about Zonta Club of Rome, contact our President, Laurie Fusco, and fuscolaurie@yahoo.com. You are a welcome guest by invitation at any of our monthly meetings. We hope to see you!

Signs of spring

I know in my heart that spring is on the way. No matter how cold or miserable it might typically (and even atypically) be this time of year, there are many things, both well-known and personal, that seem to herald spring. Here are some of many:

1. The Vernal Equinox. (Obviously.) One of two days of the year where the day and the night are twins, not too long and not too short. As Goldilocks would say, just right. It’s a lovely thing to look forward to in the spring, as an indicator that the days will be longer than those on the equinox until the next equinox.

2. The Eastern Bluebird, the American Robin, and the American Crow. The earliest birds to show their faces, these fair-weather friends show us that the natural world knows things will get better. I enjoy watching these creatures arrive back on the scene.

3. Raccoons and skunks. Many people don’t love these critters, but I welcome them with open arms. They poke their heads out fairly early, and have faith that food options will present themselves sooner rather than later.

4. Seed catalogs. Although these lovely vegetable and flower fashion magazines start coming in December, the sheer number that have accumulated by March, coupled with the arrival of early seed orders for seed starting, remind us that greener things will soon appear. 

5. Cinefest. Though it’s not a particularly springy event, the timing of Cinefest, the first film festival of the year for Art and me, couldn’t be better. The people who attend are pretty excited to see the films and see their old “film friends” that live far away, and that enthusiasm, coupled with what is usually warmer weather, makes it feel like spring.

6. Motivation to get out of bed and do something. I have Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), so the lack of light really does me in in the wintertime. My body seems to know when the days are getting longer. Even if it is unseasonably cold, something in my mind has more get up and go this time of year than it did in the preceding months. I find myself jonesing to start spring cleaning and outdoor planning.

7. Shedding horses. Horses coats respond to light rather than temperature, so they begin to shed when the days get to a certain length. At my last lesson, I had to remove the hairs from the grooming brush twice. Pretty excited about that!

8. Daffodils. Talk about a plucky plant! These pretty ladies and gentlemen are poking through the snow before we can even see our sidewalk. They can’t wait to greet the spring! Seeing daffodils springing up always puts me in a good mood.

These are the things that let me know that my dream of spring will soon be reality. As lovely as winter can be, the changing of seasons is inevitable and welcome. I trust that many of you are looking forward to spring as much as I am.