June | 2016 | The Hip Grandmother

It was a very, very muggy day when we dropped Victoria’s mother off to work. The pavement was blistering hot and there was not a cloud in sight. I didn’t feel like going home and I wanted Victoria to play, but I wanted it in a cool atmosphere. So I decided to take her to the mall. I know being there will make her tired after and she will sleep better tonight. Plus she always sees some things that are new to her every time we go. have a special recipe in mind that I want to make the girls for tomorrow night. So I had to get the item at the local grocery store. Then I thought, ‘While I’m there, I can get a 6” sub and two bottles of water..that would be fun to eat in the Food Court just her and her hip grandmother.

We drove up to the mall and parked in our favorite parking spot. Well…it’s my favorite because it’s close to the kid park and I don’t have to walk too far. I decided that this time I was going to get her stroller from the trunk. It’s easier so I don’t have to carry everything or if she gets tired there is a place for her to rest. She was so excited to get out! I think this is the first time I had seen her put her shoes on by herself in anticipation to get out to see other kids. The stroller was packed to the brim (with her in it) and we marched into the mall.

As we were walking down the way, Victoria looked up and pointed to the floor, indicating to me she wants to
get out and walk. She loves to lead the way into different stores and look at the different displays. They are always changing every time we go there. Besides the clerks like to see her and watch her cautiously as she walks around with her hands behind her back. A couple of months ago, one clerk gave her one of her favorite animals. There were ducks on display during easter and because she ABSOLUTELY loves ducks. She ran up to the display with such delight and the lady behind the desk asked her if she wanted a life-sized cardboard duck. She welcomed it with open arms and wouldn’t let go (even through lunch). She even slept with it that night. Victoria can be a weird child.

Soon we came to the end of the mall and Victoria decides to run ahead of me (which makes me so nervous that she is starting to run.) She found a display of assorted bubblegum machines. Unfortunately I had to explain to her that she is way too young for bubblegum so a tantrum ensued. That lasted for about 2 minutes until she looked up, stood back up, picked up her blanket (that she carries like Linus from the Peanuts gang) and looked at the bubblegum machines again. Part II of the tantrum began. An elderly couple came by and told her to be a good girl or she isn’t going to get any bubblegum out of the machines. I told them, yes, because she is only two years old. And no, her grandmother isn’t going to let her have any bubblegum. They both just smiled and continued walking.

Thunder crashed and we felt the vibrations beneath our feet. Not a second after that, we heard rain falling hard on the roof. The lights began to flicker on and off throughout the mall. Suddenly the movie ‘Dawn of the Dead’ came to my mind. Thats ok. I absolutely love walking with her through the mall anyway. She waves to as many people as she sees. In the mall, there are many things to do. Theres an area that lets you jump on trampolines so high (almost to the ceiling of the mall itself) with harnesses attached to the sides of your body. Now…I’m ok with letting Victoria grow up a little before she sets her sights on riding this ride but she wants to do it NOW. A couple of months ago she did try to go on the Mall Jump but was afraid once she got on the trampoline. Now I think she has toughened up a bit and wants to ‘give it a go’ again. Oy vey!

Finally we walked to the inside park where many children and parents gather to watch their babies play. VICTORIA LOVES THIS PART! I did, however, notice that Victoria is still into the ‘parallel playing’, which means she likes to be around other kids but play by herself. She is still too young for total social contact but that’s ok. The more she is around other children the more she will be able to conduct herself in the appropriate manner with a large group of kids. There were older girls that thought she was the cutest thing and played with her copying and following her around the playground. Victoria would scream as if she was so excited when she would see other children chasing each other around the slide and along the benches where the parents sat. We must have stayed in that area for about 2-3 hours. When we were ready to go home, she was happy. Tired but happy. I was happy to be with her too.