a bit of grit

I've seldom been good at assessing what other people thought of me: I can imagine and sympathize about a lot of other things, but somehow I come up blank when the topic arises. What do others think ... I really don't know.

Simultaneously, as a parent, I am informed when others assess my children, people I know largely from their lives at home and thus from a pretty narrow perspective.

Last weekend, my daughter was the subject of a belated bridal shower. Since she and her husband had been married in Fiji, a lot of the lead-up to a more conformist wedding had been put to the side. So, over the weekend, the ladies got together, gave gifts and generally applauded my daughter.

And one of the games they played, according to my daughter, was one to determine how much she knew about her now-husband. What did he think or how did he think of her. My daughter said she got seven out of ten answers correct, which strikes me as a good batting average.

But one of the questions made her pause before answering. The answer was a bit too gritty for the frilly gathering ... but in the end, she gave it anyway. The question was, "What sort of animal does your husband associate you with?"

And the answer, which was correct, was, "a bumblebee because generally she just goes about her business, but if you give her any trouble, she will really fuck up your shit."

I like to think and like to hear that my children are good-natured, caring individuals. But I also have to admit that I like to hear they have a bit of grit.