I took Jiejie to her ice-skating class today for the first time. It was her third class, and she bravely took to the ice with a large group of flailing fledglings. She was upright most of the time, going forward and backward, doing "snowplows" and giving a little hop between glides. The tentativeness of the baby we brought home, and the toddler who struggled against her sensory processing issues were hardly visible. At her instruction, I stayed in one place so she could see me, although she did not dare wave.
Nothing could have wiped that smile from my face; it gave way once to a bit of a wince when there was a five-kid pileup on the ice.
When we got home, Jiejie and Meimei discovered they could watch Meimei's "Max and Ruby" DVD in French, so they did. Jiejie had her French dictionary (with pictures) in hand and began constructing quiz questions with some of the words, while Meimei kept her eyes on her pal Max.
"Pourquoi?" said Meimei, imitating Max.
And I squeezed her a little tighter because she can't skate away quite so fast -- yet.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Faces From the Past
Jiejie was proud last week to be helping a student who is new to her school. The little girl, Elissa, "looks just like me!" Jiejie told us excitedly. I asked her what that meant. She took her long, shiny hair and folded it up around her shoulders. "Just look at me. Her hair is like mine only this short. Her face is like mine."
This was the first time Jiejie has made a visual observation aloud about being Asian, an important step in building a strong identity as a Chinese-American girl. I have worried a lot that this might be something she learns on the playground in a difficult moment instead of observing it on her own. After all, when we watched Martin Luther King on TV when she was 5, when we stayed up late on election night, when we sat raptly watching the inauguration, Jiejie spoke sympathetically of the inequality black Americans had endured at the hands of "white people" like us. She often put her arm up to mine to show how closely our skin colors "matched." But as she gazed at me with the news of her classmate it was clear that Jiejie identified with her so fully that by changing her own hair she became Elissa.
I think she is on her way to understanding, really understanding inside, where she comes from, the first step to becoming who she is.
This was the first time Jiejie has made a visual observation aloud about being Asian, an important step in building a strong identity as a Chinese-American girl. I have worried a lot that this might be something she learns on the playground in a difficult moment instead of observing it on her own. After all, when we watched Martin Luther King on TV when she was 5, when we stayed up late on election night, when we sat raptly watching the inauguration, Jiejie spoke sympathetically of the inequality black Americans had endured at the hands of "white people" like us. She often put her arm up to mine to show how closely our skin colors "matched." But as she gazed at me with the news of her classmate it was clear that Jiejie identified with her so fully that by changing her own hair she became Elissa.
I think she is on her way to understanding, really understanding inside, where she comes from, the first step to becoming who she is.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Why We Have Brothers
Overheard while the girls were getting their bath tonight:
Jiejie to Meimei: I can't wait till T.J. comes. Then when we play house we can have a boy to be the father.
Poor kid. He doesn't know what he is in for.
Jiejie to Meimei: I can't wait till T.J. comes. Then when we play house we can have a boy to be the father.
Poor kid. He doesn't know what he is in for.
Friday, January 1, 2010
Ready for the New Year
Meimei starts preschool, Jiejie is taking ice skating and chess. Our babies are growing up!
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