Lessons from my Daughter

The top of the ferris wheel is no place to panic. But here I am, simultaneously clutching the bar and my daughter, willing my heart to slow. She, of course, is wide-eyed and beaming as we sit trapped at the top of the summit. She insists on turning and jostling in the seat to get the best view from the height. I am just white-knuckling it to make it back to firm land.

How did I find this child, ready for any amusement park challenge? Poor thing, she really loses out in the parenting department for wild rides, it seems. I spent most of my childhood being motion sick on the side of our nation’s highways or the bushes near the Witch’s Wheel or the Scrambler. But these are the same rides she eyes today; like a pit bull straining its leash, she is ready to roll.

And one of the things I admire most about my daughter is evident in this park today. She knows what she wants and she goes after it; she doesn’t worry about what other people think or do. I would think a six year old would be intimidated to stand in line by herself at a strange amusement park, but she does this time after time. When she gets to the ride, she is strapped in alone. She giggles and screams and exits the line barely able to speak from the excitement.

She cons me onto the RolloCoaster, a ride that jerks the riders so violently I wonder how many have fallen out. The plummet from the top of the hill doesn’t help. But all the while she sits in the very front seat with her hands in the air and a huge grin on her face. Her favorite is a monstrous ride that spins and spins and pins the rider to the wall before dropping out the floor on which she is standing. Unbelievable to me that she exits in such glee.

I’ve always marveled at my daughter, of course. Marveling at offspring is covered in the parenting handbook after all! But I was not prepared for all the lessons I would learn at the hands of my children. I like the way she looks at life; she moves from ride to ride with such exuberance. And I love her ability to enjoy herself, by herself! I admire her sense of adventure to try new things. And when I pick her up at the end of the night to carry her to the car, her body a rag doll because she left it all on the rides, I am thankful for the reminder she gives me to live each moment passionately.