avatarErnio Hernandez

Free AI web copilot to create summaries, insights and extended knowledge, download it at here

3323

Abstract

mind… Mommy: You’re losing our mind? Daughter: Just a little.</p><h2 id="984e">Sunday, Apr 15</h2><p id="8654" type="7">“Let’s watch Villainy 3.” (Despicable Me 3)</p><figure id="6d57"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*7fKm1VX_fwjvU4q2Hb6j0A.jpeg"><figcaption>matching the art at Tate Modern (UK)</figcaption></figure><h2 id="dc55">Monday, Apr 16</h2><p id="32f8" type="7">Mommy: (showing her London on map) We’re going to go all the way over here. Daughter: It’s going to take a long time.</p><h2 id="6c7f">Tuesday, Apr 17</h2><p id="3a87" type="7">Daughter: Birds can have earrings. Daddy: What? Birds can have earrings? Daughter: No, boys.</p><h2 id="6d5d">Wednesday, Apr 18</h2><p id="219c" type="7">“We’re in London! I told you, daddy.”</p><h2 id="4014">Thursday, Apr 19</h2><p id="be68" type="7">“Thirsty!”</p><h2 id="0e47">Friday, Apr 20</h2><p id="b4a8" type="7">(singing) “Pigeon. I see another pigeon. Pigeon, pigeon. Hello, pigeon.”</p><h2 id="2351">Saturday, Apr 21</h2><p id="684c" type="7">“I just littery said that.” (literally)</p><h2 id="03d9">Sunday, Apr 22*</h2><p id="b3c2" type="7">Daughter: Like sometimes when I see a birdy fell died and a feather comes down and then scratch someone and then a a animal crashed…sw… has it in they in they hands and then they come over to a animal and they tip-toe and then they SCRATCH it on somebody. And then they hurt each other and then I put it in the recycling. Daddy: You put the animal in recycling? Daughter: Nono, no, the fuzz in the recycling. And then I put them in the bed and then I say “Stay there.” And then I CLOSE the door. So they couldn’t get out. So got it?</p><p id="ce66"><i>(was able to record and transcribe this very breathy, excitable story later)</i></p><p id="919f">Watching my daughter comfortably walk into a crowd of unfamiliar (mostly older) kids at her running group* practice this weekend was amazing to me. <i>(</i>** <i>running fan mommy had to refrain from openly weeping)</i></p><p id="7a20">Comparing her to myself (as a kid and even now as an adult), I realized how unlike me she was. In the same situation, I’d likely be a ball of social anxiety nerves—if I even got myself to the field. She barely gave a second thought to leaving mommy and daddy to follow the coach for the warm-up. Fearless.</p><p id="4f0f">I don’t easily see a lot of my own traits in my child, and I am fine with that. I’m thankful she hasn’t picked up the idiosyncrasies I dislike in myself. I hope to learn as much from her as she is supposed to be learning from me.</p><h2 id="40db">If you’re happy and you know it, and you really wanna show it… 👏🏽</h2><div id="d030" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/interview-with-my-4-year-old-daughter-915e8b0e894d"> <div> <div> <h2>Interview with My 4 Year-Old Daughter</h2> <div><h3>🔊 Audio now available 🎧</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*E3uj59RdkqBkIRWfIYxizA.png)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><div id="0fdf"><pre>Editor’s post-script: <span class="hljs-keyword">Read</spa

Options

n> the <span class="hljs-keyword">next</span> in <span class="hljs-keyword">this</span> series below:</pre></div><div id="bf34"><pre>A Kick <span class="hljs-keyword">in</span> Her <span class="hljs-keyword">Step</span></pre></div><div id="4baf" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/a-kick-in-her-step-d73a44a88722"> <div> <div> <h2>A Kick in Her Step</h2> <div><h3>“Pull Quotes” of a 4 Year Old: Weeks 17–18</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*rSt_BW94paANwEYGqxM55w.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><h2 id="2661">You may also enjoy:</h2><div id="b0ed" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/daddy-nandez-327b3bba4b5b"> <div> <div> <h2>Daddy ‘nandez’</h2> <div><h3>a selection of stories and more on fatherhood by Ernio Hernandez</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*sRrFcKkoHkfZKxWnFruZ9Q.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><div id="2a0b" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/tim-curry-terrorized-my-childhood-402867a5294e"> <div> <div> <h2>Tim Curry Terrorized My Childhood</h2> <div><h3>Yes, I do have a terrible memory from when I was a kid of having my ears pulled out and mocked (almost as the lovable baby elephant in…</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*zCJhwFBaNM4OP-2wpKThVw.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><div id="e372" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/my-cravings-my-childhood-daecd71c34b2"> <div> <div> <h2>My Cravings = My Childhood</h2> <div><h3>I have been drawing everyday for a couple months now on a weekly theme. Last week’s prompt was food, and I noticed a…</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*-org818eHcud1EFI5bdk0w.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><div id="772b" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/the-essential-ernio-1e2ce508819a"> <div> <div> <h2>The Essential Ernio</h2> <div><h3>a list of collected works by Ernio Hernandez</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*--Fwz0lgHCrcf_sejgXWZg.png)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div></article></body>

A Sense of Adventure

“Pull Quotes” of a 4 Year Old: Weeks 15-16

My daughter skipped crawling and went straight to pulling herself up and walking. She was the kid going down the slide headfirst. And she is always ready to go for a drive, a hike or a plane ride to some new place she’s never been.

Sure, she was a little hesitant last week walking over the London aquarium see-through floor — under which sharks and rays visibly swam around. But, she was also fearlessly calm as our encased capsule reached the top of The London Eye (Europe’s tallest Ferris wheel) some 443 feet in the sky.

It’s the paradoxical paradigm of parenting: wanting to keep your kid from hurting herself as she falls off the bed, but knowing she must to learn from her mistakes. I’m still learning how to let her smile, laugh, be wide-eyed and giddy as she leaps boundlessly while keeping my heart rate from reaching panic-inducing levels.

Looking for “Pull Quotes” backstory? Previously on…

😀 A Personality (Weeks 1–2) | 😱 A Flair for the Dramatic (3–4) 👹 An Active Imagination (5–6) | 🙋🏻 A Growing Independence (7–8) 🏡 A Happy Homelife (9–10) | 💝 A Sweet Heart (11–12) 👀 Her Mother’s Eyes (13–14)

And now, we join “Pull Quotes” already in progress:

Monday, Apr 9

“I’m sleeptalking.”

Tuesday, Apr 10

“Hey, let’s get going!”

Wednesday, Apr 11

“You distappeared.” (disappeared)

Thursday, Apr 12

Daughter: Don’t step on the cracks. Daddy: I’m not, are you? Daughter: Don’t worry about me, worry about yourself.

Friday, Apr 13

Daughter: Hey, how about you be the bad boy? Daddy: The bad monster? Daughter: No, I want you to be the bad boy.

Saturday, Apr 14

Daughter: (singing) I’m losing my mind… Mommy: You’re losing our mind? Daughter: Just a little.

Sunday, Apr 15

“Let’s watch Villainy 3.” (Despicable Me 3)

matching the art at Tate Modern (UK)

Monday, Apr 16

Mommy: (showing her London on map) We’re going to go all the way over here. Daughter: It’s going to take a long time.

Tuesday, Apr 17

Daughter: Birds can have earrings. Daddy: What? Birds can have earrings? Daughter: No, boys.

Wednesday, Apr 18

“We’re in London! I told you, daddy.”

Thursday, Apr 19

“Thirsty!”

Friday, Apr 20

(singing) “Pigeon. I see another pigeon. Pigeon, pigeon. Hello, pigeon.”

Saturday, Apr 21

“I just littery said that.” (literally)

Sunday, Apr 22*

Daughter: Like sometimes when I see a birdy fell died and a feather comes down and then scratch someone and then a a animal crashed…sw… has it in they in they hands and then they come over to a animal and they tip-toe and then they SCRATCH it on somebody. And then they hurt each other and then I put it in the recycling. Daddy: You put the animal in recycling? Daughter: Nono, no, the fuzz in the recycling. And then I put them in the bed and then I say “Stay there.” And then I CLOSE the door. So they couldn’t get out. So got it?

(*was able to record and transcribe this very breathy, excitable story later)

Watching my daughter comfortably walk into a crowd of unfamiliar (mostly older) kids at her running group** practice this weekend was amazing to me. (** running fan mommy had to refrain from openly weeping)

Comparing her to myself (as a kid and even now as an adult), I realized how unlike me she was. In the same situation, I’d likely be a ball of social anxiety nerves—if I even got myself to the field. She barely gave a second thought to leaving mommy and daddy to follow the coach for the warm-up. Fearless.

I don’t easily see a lot of my own traits in my child, and I am fine with that. I’m thankful she hasn’t picked up the idiosyncrasies I dislike in myself. I hope to learn as much from her as she is supposed to be learning from me.

If you’re happy and you know it, and you really wanna show it… 👏🏽

Editor’s post-script: Read the next in this series below:
A Kick in Her Step

You may also enjoy:

Parenting
Family
Anxiety
Adventure
Life Lessons
Recommended from ReadMedium