From the Brain of Matty

reasons to feel important (17.04.08 7:36 am)

This morning Bridget woke up and came out of her room while Shell and I were laying in bed, and headed towards her Grandma who was in the kitchen. (Her bedroom door is right near ours.) So her Grandma came over and picked her up, and commented on how wet Bridget was. Then, almost immediately, turned and said, "Do you want to go and see Grandpa?" and started to walk off. Shell said, "If she's so wet she should get changed." So her Grandma asked Bridget, "Do you want to change your nappy?" to which, of course, Bridget shook her head, so her Grandma said, "Okay let's go find Grandpa, and then change your nappy."

Fine, okay, that's only sort of ignoring direction from Bridget's parents. Then Shell got up and wasn't nearby when they came back. As they were about to head into her room, Bridget said, "Gaggy" (which is Bridgetlian for "Daddy") and reached out a hand towards me (which is Bridgetlian for any number of things, as often as not it's just how she points.) At the same time as I said, "Yes bubba?" her Grandmother said, in her immensely loud voice, straight at Bridget, "Is Daddy meant to change your nappy?" Bridget shook her head, and then, having made one assumption about what Bridget intended and satisfactorily derailing whatever thought inspired Bridget to call out to me — and ignoring me altogether — her Grandma swept Bridget into her room and changed her nappy.

Then, after the changing, her Grandma carried Bridget out of the room, saw Grandpa in the living room turning on the TV, and for the second time took Bridget over to see Grandpa, without so much as even facing in my direction. So this morning we've as parents been overridden (or undermined), I've been steamrolled out of a conversation with my daughter, and I've been supplanted in the paternal roll by a man who is more interested in watching TV at 7 in the morning.

I'll leave it for Shell to complain about the rubbish bins, if she feels the need to vent something.

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