When your children are little, you take pride in their accomplishments. Part of this comes from the feeling that you somehow had a hand in what your child had done. They learned to walk—we did it! First words? Well, I really was a good coach, wasn’t I?
Of course, in retrospect, we realize that these accomplishments were their own all along. We were just there for every moment, so we felt some ownership.
But then your children get older, and all of sudden the things they accomplish have nothing to do with you. And it’s quite apparent. Ideas burst forth and they run with them at a speed that is impossible to track. All you can do is gently lift your jaw back off the floor.
We went to the dentist this morning. Neko got this little plastic monkey as a prize for having no cavities. As we sat in another doctor’s office, waiting for the next appointment (packing them in over winter break), I decided to take a photo of it. That is the first photo in this series.
Then Neko asked if she could use my camera. I relented, and the next hour was filled with a burst of creativity, art directing a monkey’s journey through an oversize world. The crops are her own, except for one that I made horizontal so it matched this series. I adore seeing the world through her eyes, an amazing blend of my husband and I.
This is the good stuff.
