Bad Habits

This will probably not be news to anyone, but I have a long history as a nerd. Example: When I was in 3rd and 4th grades, we lived a little less than a mile from the elementary school. In that school district, only students who lived 1 mile or more from their zoned schools were bused, so we were stuck walking every day. In the wintertime, this led to amusing antics for onlookers as my 9-year-old self struggled to carry home a heavy backpack and violin over ice-packed sidewalks. When the weather got warmer, the walking was less demanding, and I took to occassionally reading while walking. This was, perhaps, even more amusing to onlookers. Certainly, my parents and siblings still enjoy teasing me about it. I may or may not have also been known to sit alone reading over lunch in the middle school cafeteria. Cool, I know.

Thanks to premium denim and eye surgery, among other things, my nerdiness lives a little further below the surface now than it used to, but at the end of the day, you are who you are, and you can change only so much.

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As a mother, I want the best for my daughter. I have attempted, therefore, to avoid exposing Evelyn to some of my bad habits in hopes that she will not develop the same vices. It's too late for me to prefer classical music and the history channel to today's top country and ABC's Thursday night line-up, but maybe I can point the next generation toward better practices, I think, eliminate the weaknesses from my line going forward so to speak.

As it turns out, my efforts at self denial may have been in vain. For, despite appearing to be John's mini-me, Evelyn is my daughter, too, and while some things are taught, others are bred into us in ways that defy logic. I present to you Evelyn's activity of choice while walking to the tram Thursday (side note: she walked from our apartment to the tram, then to the toddler park on Roosevelt Island with no breaks - that's over 1.2 miles).

And later, while waiting for Fox at the playground.

Nature: 1, Nurture: 0