Friday, March 6, 2009

Driving Miss Greta

Lately Greta has been trying to sort out her options for the future. Can she grow up to be a fairy? A queen?

It reminded me of a favorite family story.

My brother, when he was about Greta's age, announced to my sister and me (we were Ev and Clem's ages), that when he grew up he was going to be a fire truck.

In the photo at right you can see us. My brother on our grandma's lap. I'm peeking out from behind my sister's leg.

Of course, as big sisters our job (as we saw it) was to know more than he did, and let him know it often.

"You can't be a fire truck," we started to explain. We had outgrown fantasy and were rock sure that people could not grow up to be vehicles.

He cut us off, playing his trump card, "I can, too! Mom says I can be anything I want to be."

So Greta and I were driving and talking about her options. She and I spend a lot of time in the car. Driving her to classes. Driving to pick up Ev and Clem.

This time she is asking about princesses and fairies and angels. Are they real? What are her chances of being one? She was really disappointed to hear that the U.S. doesn't have a queen.

I said, "But you could be president!"

"But I want to be a mother!"

"You could be a mother and president," I say. "Just like I'm a mother and a writer."

"And a taxi!" she says.

I cracked up. How did she figure that out? Or did she overhear me complaining about all the driving?

My brother did not grow up to be a fire truck. But my sister and I were wrong. Because hey, I grew up to be a taxi.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Is marrying into royalty an option for Greta, like, say, Queen Noor, or Grace Kelly? They are mothers too.

Anonymous said...

Great story!!

I'm glad you guys got to do some spore prints -- can't wait to see them.

gina said...

a taxi and a mom and a writer- you did alright for yourself. :)

Stefaneener said...

Maybe I'll be a walk-behind tiller when I grow up.

Your posts always make me think that you have such a gift for shaping your writing. Like a nicely polished gem, or a very perfect peach, I see the whole shape of it. So you are a taxi and a writer. Oh, and a mom.

Susan said...

Stefaneener, thank you! That means a whole lot to me. I do love to make my posts circular when I can. I am always on the lookout for life's little loops. This one was 35 years in the making.

Christine Ryan said...

Such a lovely picture and a great story. It actually made me thought about what I want to do when I "grow up"