The Little Pirate and I went for a walk this afternoon with one of the two best little corgi’s we know. Instead of putting the Pirate in her stroller, I decided to let her walk. She’s doing quite well, and it helps get some of her energy out so she doesn’t start slaughtering her toys.
We made our way around the block and she met several friends, old and new. Some ladies who work around the corner who we chat with when we see them picked up the Pirate and hugged her. Not a peep from the Pirate. She knows no stranger. Someone said to me a few months ago, “Oh…you’ll have to teach her otherwise.” Well, yeah, I’m not going to let my kid go home with a guy who offers her candy, but I don’t want her to be scared of everyone and everything. She climbed out of her high chair a few weeks ago at a Ethiopian Restaurant, and sat in some guy’s lap. Cool Dad said, “She must have gotten that from you.”
Back to the walk. We came around the next corner and she found a puddle. First she jumped in it. Then she crouched down and started slapping the water and splashing it everywhere. I just watched her and laughed. Then these two moms, dressed to the nines in their fancy jeans, heavy sweaters and knee high boots (um, it was 72 out there today) passed with their kids – similarly bundled and packed into their strollers. The moms both stopped, looked at the Pirate and had this look of disgust on their face that she was playing in the puddle. One of them said, “Oh. Cute.” But I could tell that she was struggling to get that out.
Damn. They should see how dirty the Pirate gets at the playground. I want the Pirate to play and have fun, and I don’t want her to be scared of everything because I never let her see the world from outside the stroller.