The Grump Squad (sometimes!)

Here is a previous posting about Jordan and Camille for all of you who did not see it before.

"No, I don't want to walk anymore, I don't want to look at anything else, and I don't want to go to anymore museums!" This is something that we hear from time to time from either Jordan or Camille or both when we are out exploring the world. Don't you just feel sorry for them? What poor little girls! They are able to not only travel around Europe at such a young age, but even better, they are able to live in the heart of it all. Jordan and Camille are great travelers. They love to fly or ride on a train, stay in a hotel (their 2nd favorite part) and visit the souvenir shops (their #1 favorite). ...And generally, they are very well-behaved when Lee and I are enjoying a wonderful museum or cathedral, even if they aren't enjoying it along with us, but sometimes, they let their fatigue show and let us have it. That's ok. I will take all that good with a little bit of bad any day. You know...atleast we got to see most of everything, and the best thing of all is we got to share it with them.

The latest comment from Jordan when we are in a great museum or standing in front of historic landmark or experiencing a once-in-a-lifetime event (and she has repeated this to me several times) is "When I get older, I want to come back here and do (or see) this again." I think to myself, "Wow! That is wonderful that she enjoys this so much that she wants to do it again," but I quickly wake up from my dream because this is not what she meant. She explains to me that the reason she wants to do it again is because she doesn't enjoy it now and feels that she would like it more when she is older. Hang on a second. Here we are standing in the middle of Anne Frank's house where she spent hiding for more than 2 years of her life, and you are telling me that you want to "redo" this whole experience. While her train of thought throws me for a loop, she is right about some things, and that is that I am sure she would appreciate everything she is experiencing now more when she is older, but that still doesn't mean she shouldn't do her best to enjoy it at the moment it is happening. The one thing I do know that is certain is that when Jordan loves something, she wants to do it again, so I guess it isn't too bad for her to not like it and want to do it again as well, right? Atleast she is consistent.

I hope that both my girls have the opportunity to "redo" Europe and all the sites, because not only is it amazing to see it once, but it is even better to see it twice, but we don't know where life is going to take them, and therefore, I would love for my girls to embrace life as it happens. In the meantime, Lee and I will do our best to enjoy the next wonderful thing we have the luxury of visiting, and while I hope for Jordan and Camille to enjoy it even a little, the best thing I can ask for is it to shape who they are as a person. I love my little girls! (sour faces and all!)