My God Daughter

So my God-Daughter is set against me getting any more Tattoo's. She's 7 and shreaks whenever she discovers someone she knows has a Tattoo. I really took a beating when I told her I was getting a new one, but she's such a cute kid I really didn't mind it. She also has a fit if anyone smokes in front of her and she pleads for them to stop saying "It's Really Really Bad"! She wags her cute little finger and looks at you seriously as she tries to make you promise not to get that Tattoo or smoke that cigarette ever again.

The thing is she lives in this amazing little world she's somehow created for herself. She's very much the artist. She moves from one art project to the next with such untarnished creativity- you remember that right?.... when you were a kid and hadn't yet been told negative things like: 'you can't do this or that', 'your not good at this or that' or 'that idea sucked' sadly not just by other kids. Oh how our society fails to truely nuture our children.

As we grow older we inevitably grow more self conscious in what you do. We begin to censor ourselves when the truth is maybe the trick is to not listen to those nay sayers- that is probably the better route to go. That way you never stop running around like a crazy banshee- because it's more fun than caring how dirty you are despite how much fun your having. Reject those voices that tell you to do things a certain way- the acceptable way. Most of us do abandon what's fun for what's acceptable and it's sad really. Kids don't know that they don't have to conform. We put them in school where they learn to become responsible citizens. School along with everyone else in our society- including ourselves- slowly but surely train our young to conform to societal convention. It's necessary but at the same time sad if you really think about it.

Well that process hasn't really started in a major way for her yet and I LOVE it!! She's so caring that she'll wag her little finger at you and really mean what she is saying and I laugh a little inside everytime because this is serious business to her. I watch her play with her friends and do art projects with her glue gun and dance to some ridiculous song called "Lean Like a Cholo". I let her hug me as long as she wants and we are going to Sea World for her Birthday next month, but I will get my Tattoo cause as cute as she is-- i'm a grown up Damn It and i'll do what I want.