Not many families with kids visit my husband and me. Or to write it differently, we don't get many visitors at all.
Friends from Austria, who have a young daughter, visited us last week. I know that the girl was already bored a bit in the past (I don't blame her, it is boring to sit all evening with 4 adults. Also cartoons and colouring get boring after a while).
I got an idea that it would be fun to borrow a kid.
I asked my sister-in-law if I could have my niece (who loves me) for couple of hours. My wish was declined, as usually. It hurt for the first few years, now I am just used to it.
So I asked my cousin (who feels like my sister) if I could have her daughter for the evening. My cousin was thrilled for her child to be exposed to German and English for the whole evening. So I asked the little one (she is 6 and a half) if she would love to meet a new girl from Austria. She said yes (only later on I found out that she understood me that I was inviting her for a trip to Austria, that's why she needed 5 seconds to confirm :)
It was a lovely evening. It was nice to have two girls at our home.
The evening itself was lovely. But then, out of the blue, came the comment of my friend: "What do the people of that town do besides working, going to library and making babies?"
Such a silly choice of words. (Phrase Making babies brings back many sad memories, that include many needles, many suffering, many disappointment).
I didn't let this comment to spoil my good mood.
I know that to outside word this might seem pathetic, borrowing someone else's kid.
I don't care. I just know I really enjoy being cool and fun auntie to a lovely smart girl. Who was thrilled that she learnt some completely new German words. Like "Danke".
I think that borrowing someone else's kid is awesome. It's funny, my mother's cousin was like an aunt&friend to me. We did a ton of things together, we even went to a Pink Floyd concert in London together when I was 15 (and she was... well, very old, probably 45 ;-) ). I never thought of her as pathetic, far from that!
ReplyDeletethank you Lara, for your kind words.
ReplyDeleteYes, 45 is ancient old when you are 15 :)
I thought you were very considerate for planning a playmate so your young visitor also enjoyed the evening.
ReplyDeleteYes, you're not pathetic at all! It was lovely of you to think of your friends' daughter and borrow a kid! I sort of did this years ago (I also don't have many children visit us), when I was looking after my 2 1/2 year old nieces. My friend's little boy, who was just a few months older, hosted them and played with them and was a complete gentleman. It's shocking to work out that they're now all 16!
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