My daughter was just learning to talk when we took her to the zoo. She was fascinated by the gorillas and pounded on her chest calling out “oooooh ooooh.” She learned to say “lilah” for “gorilla.”
Several days later we were walking through a parking lot, and my daughter, who was in my arms, began to shake and hold on to me for dear life, burying her face in my shoulder. In the quietest of voices she said, “Mommy, I cared.” Translation: I’m scared. I looked around and could only see two heavy set women with bright smiles walking up behind us, so I asked her why she was scared. She proceeded to bang on her chest and say, “Lilah. ooooh ooooh!” just as the African American ladies caught up with us.
I think I turned every color of the rainbow at that moment. Never before did I place my daughter in her car seat and buckle it with such speed and agility.
Sandra, mother of two
Motherhood and Martial Arts 