My daughter Soleil is becoming a mini-grandma.
She loves to cuddle and lay down with blankets and pillows.
She feels empathy for those in pain and tries to console them.
She doesn’t like to try new things.
All she is missing is a shall and a rocking chair.
For example, today we went on a little trip to a childrens amusement park.
The outdoor area is filled with lots of water; shooting out of characters mouths, thrown from buckets, tiny kiddie pools. Guess who took one look and REFUSED to let us put on her bathing suit.
Soleil.
She clung to us in such a way of fear and terror.
Neve went in without a problem.
I keep reminding myself that these are two very different little girls (even though I may have bought them the same bathing suits in different colors.. I know, totally going against the not dressing the ladies alike rule.. shh..)
But it’s hard to see your child off to the side, while her sister and twin cousins are playing and having the time of their lives.
A part of me worries.
This type of behavior will ostracize her in school. With friends.
For example, the girls were in summer camp for the month of July.
Every day, the camp would bring in different people and activities to fill up the day.
Often they would bring small animals in and show them to the class.
Soleil would be too scared and stay as far away from the animals as possible.
She would cry.
She doesn’t like unfarmiliar things (yet she is always up to trying any new foods.. go figure!).
There is something about her.
She is like an old soul.
I went to my second cousin who happens to be a great Rabbi and kabbalist.
People from all over the world go to see him for wisdom, guidance.
He can tell you all about yourself, even if he has never met you.
He told me that Soleil is wise beyond her years and that she has a very heightened intuition.
He said not to be surprised if she starts seeing things soon (spirits, etc)….I know that it sounds crazy to most of you, but go with it.
Luckily for her, she has me as a mother.. someone who knows first hand what it’s like to live with a pronounced sixth sense… but according to him, my gift is a joke compared to what hers will be like.
The other day we went to visit my dad’s brother and his wife. As we were leaving, my mom was holding Soleil. My uncle looks at her and says “Soleil do you want to stay with us? We don’t have anybody” (he meant no grandkids yet..).
She looked at him, tears welled up in her eyes and gave him a big hug.
She said “I’m Leaving, but I’ll come back soon” .. as if to empathize with him.
We all stood there in amazement, my uncle was so moved you could see it in his eyes.
I mean, she is 2 years old!
Where does this empathy come from??
She often has a worried look on her face, as if she is carrying the weight of the world on her tiny shoulders.
Often, I find myself getting upset with her when she does something wrong. I never understood why I expected more from her behavior than from Neve’s.. it’s because she acts wise beyond her years and when she does act like a 2 year old, I don’t get it.
I have shifted the way I react when she acts like a toddler…
After all she is in fact just a toddler.. and one who like cupcakes at that!
