Deep Cleansing Breaths
We were watching Sara playing by herself with the baby play gym when we caught her staring at herself in the mirror. We know how babies get all excited watching themselves in the mirror despite the old wives tales saying that it is not good to let you baby see the mirror for reasons I don't know.
As I sat there watching my baby girl looking at herself in the mirror, I can't help but thought to myself, " How would she see herself in the mirror 16 years from now?" Or perhaps "How would I react to find her so interested in the mirror 16 years from now?" (If you know what I mean)
This is the story that I would like to share to all mothers and mothers-to-be...the deep, cleansing breath of a mother with a teenage daughter...
'Donna and I went shopping with our daughters today. Her Natalie is sixteen, my Rachel is eight. The excursion went something like this:
Natalie pulls a few bathing suits off the rack. Donna begins taking several deep, cleansing breaths which strangely resemble the breathing techniques we were taught in our childbirth classes years ago. We head for the dressing room. Rachel reaches for a few more swimsuits for Natalie to try on, and the two young ladies disappear behind the thick, blue curtain.
A few moments later, Rachel's round face appears. She asks if we want to see. Of course we do. Back goes the curtain, and there stands Natalie in a bathing suit that slides her curve. Donna holds her breath until Natalie says she doesn't like it. I hear Donna letting out a "hee, hee, hee, whew."
Natalie returns to the dressing room. I watched the clock. Its' about three minutes between changes. Rachel pulls back the curtain and displays suit number two on her life-sized Barbie model. This one is a two-piece. Donna's breathing has turned noticeably more rapid.
Two minutes now between changes. We see suit number three, a rather low-cut, black number. Donna begins sucking air in through clenched teeth. She seems a tad irritable, as if the transition is harder on her than it is on Natalie.
Here comes suit number four. Donna's face went red. She's clutching the sides of the chair and doesn't appear to be breathing at all. The curtain closes, and a stream of controlled breath passes through Donna's cracked lips. I consider going for ice chips, but it won't be long now, and I don't want to miss the Grand Conclusion. I coach Donna, telling her to hang in there. Just one more.
Rachel whips back the curtain, and Natalie turns around in number five, a lovely yet modest one-piece.
Donna's whole body pushes up from the chair, and with all her strength she announces, "That's the one!" Everyone is pleased. We congratulate each other. I pass around a roll of Life Savers.
Thus I came to know and understand the real reason they teach us in Lamaze. It has nothing to do with the infant in the delivery room. It's all about the teenage daughter in the dressing room.'
~Robin Jones Gunn~
As I sat there watching my baby girl looking at herself in the mirror, I can't help but thought to myself, " How would she see herself in the mirror 16 years from now?" Or perhaps "How would I react to find her so interested in the mirror 16 years from now?" (If you know what I mean)
This is the story that I would like to share to all mothers and mothers-to-be...the deep, cleansing breath of a mother with a teenage daughter...
'Donna and I went shopping with our daughters today. Her Natalie is sixteen, my Rachel is eight. The excursion went something like this:
Natalie pulls a few bathing suits off the rack. Donna begins taking several deep, cleansing breaths which strangely resemble the breathing techniques we were taught in our childbirth classes years ago. We head for the dressing room. Rachel reaches for a few more swimsuits for Natalie to try on, and the two young ladies disappear behind the thick, blue curtain.
A few moments later, Rachel's round face appears. She asks if we want to see. Of course we do. Back goes the curtain, and there stands Natalie in a bathing suit that slides her curve. Donna holds her breath until Natalie says she doesn't like it. I hear Donna letting out a "hee, hee, hee, whew."
Natalie returns to the dressing room. I watched the clock. Its' about three minutes between changes. Rachel pulls back the curtain and displays suit number two on her life-sized Barbie model. This one is a two-piece. Donna's breathing has turned noticeably more rapid.
Two minutes now between changes. We see suit number three, a rather low-cut, black number. Donna begins sucking air in through clenched teeth. She seems a tad irritable, as if the transition is harder on her than it is on Natalie.
Here comes suit number four. Donna's face went red. She's clutching the sides of the chair and doesn't appear to be breathing at all. The curtain closes, and a stream of controlled breath passes through Donna's cracked lips. I consider going for ice chips, but it won't be long now, and I don't want to miss the Grand Conclusion. I coach Donna, telling her to hang in there. Just one more.
Rachel whips back the curtain, and Natalie turns around in number five, a lovely yet modest one-piece.
Donna's whole body pushes up from the chair, and with all her strength she announces, "That's the one!" Everyone is pleased. We congratulate each other. I pass around a roll of Life Savers.
Thus I came to know and understand the real reason they teach us in Lamaze. It has nothing to do with the infant in the delivery room. It's all about the teenage daughter in the dressing room.'
~Robin Jones Gunn~
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