There is one sure-fire way to make our little girl happy... pick her up, toss her in the air... and use her as a human airplane, dive bombing through the house and creating general chaos... The faster you go, the further you plummet, the better...
Tim is very good at this form of entertainment... Nothing makes Charlotte more excited than having her daddy whip her into the air for a whirlwind tour of each room. Her little body gets stiff as a board and her mouth opens wide for a silent scream... At the end of each dive or toss, she lets out the most excited giggle... If he waits too long for the next round, she begins to fuss.
But while Charlotte and her daddy are zooming around the house, narrowly avoiding furniture and ceiling fans, I can't help but hold my breath. My heart begins to beat faster and I become hyper aware of every one of their movements. Sometimes it is all I can do to keep quiet and let them finish their course.
Don't get me wrong, I trust Tim. If there is anyone in the world that loves that little girl as much as I do, it would be him. And I know that every twist and turn is precisely calculated to produce shrieks and laughter without producing bumps and bruises.
It is just my strong desire to keep her safe and protected under all circumstances. But as she grows up, Charlotte is going to want to take risks. Most of them will be calculated risks- riding roller coasters, driving a car, going out on dates... And I am sure that all of these things will terrify me. (The last one especially!)
And then there will be those foolish risks- the ones that every kid makes at some point growing up... Those moments that we look back on and realize that it's by the grace of God that we made it to adulthood at all.
Even now, I know that I will not be able to protect her from everything. I can do by my best, but in the end, the best I can do is trust that God will continue to watch over her and that He will help Tim and I arm her with the tools she needs to navigate life- hopefully with minimal bruising.
