Holy Roses

My daughters have several bad habits. The kind of habits that make me a) want to hurl b) want to yell or c) pretend that I don't know them. I hope that at some stage they will grow out of these lousy quirks. And for that reason, as well as in the hope that one day we might actually be friends, and they might actually read what I have written (I doubt it, truly, but you never can tell) I will refrain from naming the specific child over whom I wish to vent.

It would seem that this little person has an obsession with holes. And, more than that, she has a propensity to absentmindedly investigate these holes with her fingers. Without a thought as to what might be lurking in, for instance, a knot hole, she will slip a finger in, give it a wiggle, and be on her way.

The holes she explores come in all shapes and sizes. Naturally, her own orifices have had a good old delve around in. (Much to my utter disgust, mind you!) In fact, I lose count of the number of times a day that I either tell her to take her finger out of her nose, or just pull the offending digit out myself whilst offering her "The Look".

(So much for trying to protect her identity, right? Those of you who know her, will know her. Know what I mean?)

But self-exploration aside, as mentioned, this madam of pokery investigates nature with a scrutinizing finger. Knot holes, gaps between bricks, the hidden rim of the windowsill, the hollow cylindrical handle of the wheel barrow, (meanwhile my spider-radar is bleeping just mentioning these things!), the bunnies' ears, a suspiciously perfectly round hollow in the sand-pit sand. The list goes on and on.

Fortunately the electricity speech seems to have taken root somewhere in that sponge-like head of hers, and we have not had any shocking experiences with regards to fingers in sockets.

There are times were I just cannot sit next to her for prolonged periods of time. If I do, I'll get a bored finger wiggled into my sock, or my ear. It's like she just can't help herself.

Now, I've spent some time thinking about this inclination of hers, and while I hope like blazes that she will outgrow it, I can't help but speculate if this is a window into her future. They say that nursing is hereditary, and with her being subconsciously drawn to dark holes, I have to wonder whether she might end up as a midwife.

Just a thought, really.