Wednesday, October 04, 2006

On Being Tall

Being tall isn't easy.

In high school most boys are half your height and the tall ones are uber-awkward (aka "not cool"). You can't fit in most clothes (legs are too long). Your clothing size is twice the size the "popular girls" are wearing. You are always asked "can you get that for me?" by random people when you're shopping.

It isn't until you get older that you appreciate height. When those "popular girls" become, well, average.

You can walk into any room - and everyone knows you are there (both a blessing and a curse). It's a silent, but strong presence.

I have vowed to teach my daughter to love and cherish her height.

So - to my littlest darling: Be proud. Be strong and hold your head high. Wear heals. Stand straight; don't slouch (it's so unbecoming). Embrace your height. Understand you will be a threat to some women. And please don't ever worry - real men (forget those high school boys) will love you for it.

Hoi Hoi

Yesterday I caught two men winking at Chase (no, they were not winking at me).

The day before that, I caught a little old woman playing hide-and-seek with her. Last weekend a German man started talking to her while I was walking - he just came up beside me, kept pace and carried on a nice little German conversation with her and then said goodbye and went on his way.

At first it was a little overwhelming (we literally get significant attention from 3-5 people every time we leave the house), but I have come to realize that Chase is now actively engaging people. If I sit down at a restaurant/cafe/tram, she quickly surveys her surroundings, catches someone's eye and flashes a beautiful smile.

For the most part, she gets a big smile back, along with some German baby talk. "Hoi Hoi" is common (it's the same as hello). They also like to "click" at babies here (the sound made when your tongue in on the roof of your mouth). She loves it.

She actually gets sad if she can't get a response. She'll try again and again, until she realizes she isn't getting anywhere. She'll then spend about 2 seconds reflecting on the friend she could have had, and then moves on to the next unsuspecting adult. It's adorable.

But then I think to myself ... hmmm, she's only 6-months-old.

And then I remind myself that she's going to be a tall glass of water when she grows up (on track to be at least 6' tall - if not 6'1"), so she might as well get used to the attention now.