A strong and close-knit family, I believe, is defined by its ability to experience both the hardships and joys of life together. We always support one another, and every one of us knows that our family is a safe place to share whatever is on our minds.
Sometimes, you dont need much to create an atmosphere filled with happiness and love. I cant help but smile when I recall moments like these from our little household.
Both my husband and I are rather shortneither of us is over 53but my dad stands tall at 57 and sports a long, bushy beard. He started this funny ritual where, each time he entered our house, hed boom, Good afternoon, Hobbits! and wed cheerfully respond, Hello, Gandalf! It became our own family greeting, a little nod to that classic British sense of humour.
Our family is made up of myself, my husband, and our two daughters. One day, we were deciding who should take the dog out for a walk. To avoid squabbles, we invented a silent game: whoever gave in first took the dog. The game began, and quietly, my daughter began putting on her coat and shoes. Once ready, she opened the door and clipped the lead onto our spaniel. The rest of us watched her and almost in unison said, Pauline, what a good girl you are! Grinning mischievously, she replied, Caught you out! and, satisfied, took off her coat again. Shed only pretended to losesuch cleverness from a young age.
There was another moment, when my boyfriend went to ask my father for my hand in marriage. Dad made a dramatic show of collapsing on the floor and declaring, At last, my saviour has arrived! Hed once heard that joke when he was younger and had apparently always looked forward to using it.
I usually make breakfast for my eight-year-old niece during the week, but at weekends I tend to sleep in an extra half hour. One lazy Saturday, I awoke to find a breakfast spread already on the tablea hot pot of tea, some creamy cottage cheese, and two sandwiches. It was my nieces way of saying thank you and spoiling me on my day off. Children really do know how to show their appreciation.
On another occasion, our family (my husband and our eleven-year-old son) and my brothers family (his wife and their seven-year-old daughter) all set off to visit our mums village in the countryside. On the drive, we thought the children would absolutely love some water pistolsgreat for a bit of fun. We found some really fancy ones, and soon the children were outside, squealing with laughter, while the adults soon found themselves drawn into their own water battle. I still chuckle at how competitive that got.
When I was six, my parents often took me to the countryside in the evenings. My dad would bring a fishing rod with a small wooden stick attached to the float. Wed arrive at a great wide field, and dad would cast the rod and begin waving his hands, making squeaky noises like a mouse. Then, after a while, a large barn owl would swoop by, trying to nab the wooden float with its beak but never quite managing it. I would watch, enthralled. Thats how my father inspired my love for nature. Moments like those are truly the most precious.
Its dawned on me that my husband and I never really quarrel. I remembered how my friends would talk to me about disagreements and squabbles at home, usually about everyday mess. But looking round our flatclothes draped everywhere, papers mixed up with unwashed mugs and platesit never bothers us. We just collapse onto the sofa, cuddle up, and put on a film. Thats just who we aretwo happy souls, together.
I recall one particular day, waiting in the queue at the newsagents with my daughter. She was flicking through magazines when she exclaimed, Daddy, look, theres a fairy magazine with Flora on the cover. I corrected her, My dear, thats not Flora, its Bloom. Two teenage girls ahead of us spun around, surprised that a dad knew the characters from his daughters favourite cartoons. Its little things like thatbeing interested in each others worldthat bring us closer.
My husband lost his own mother at a young age; my mum happily stepped in to fill that role. I remember sitting in a cosy restaurant with all of usmy husband, our two boys, and my mumwhile my husband thanked her profusely, saying she loved him like her own son.
The other day, my eight-year-old daughter came racing in from the park, breathless with excitement. Dad! she said, There was a butterfly outsideso colourful, huge, almost as big as a kestrel! She gestured at her hands to show the size. Everyone was scared to go near it! Only the boys tried to chase it away with sticks, but even they were nervous!
Before I could remind her to be gentle with living things, she blurted out, But I wasnt scared! I got a stick and chased the boys awayso they wouldnt hurt it! And then I let the butterfly go so it could fly away. My heart swelled with pridemoments like those are worth more than all the pounds in the world.
