Holding Court

They (yes, the ubiquitous they) say you pin a character when you pick a name. We had one helluva time picking a name for our kid. Well, at least once we found out she was a girl. A boy would have been easier, named after one of my grandfathers, he would, more than likely, have been a William. Bit I digress.

Dora and I could not agree on a girl's name. The good Italian that she is, Dora preferred strong Italian girls names. I did not. We bantered back and forth, looking for the perfect moniker. Something that would befit a CEO or the president or the leader of a grunge band. And one day, we settled on Arden.

When I picked Arden up from school today they were playing "Doggie Doggie Where's my Bone". For those who don't know how this game goes, one child holds a bone behind their back, while another child (whose back was turned while the bone is given out) has to guess who is holding it. Arden was up first, and sat with her back to the class. When the time came, she turned around and I watched her hold court. On her knees on the chair, she named each and every child in the class. Even the ones who straggled in late to the game who she knew, without question, were not holding the dog's bone. But you know what? All eyes were looking up at her, and she liked it. A lot.

When she finally picked Drew, the last possible choice, they traded places, and it was her turn to choose the holder. I watched as she commanded to the 15 children that they need to be quiet and put their hands behind their backs if they wanted wanted her to choose them. And they LISTENED. I remarked on this to her teacher and her response? 'They always listen to Arden.'

It is days like today that her departure from baby and toddlerhood is so obvious. The whole scene made her seem older than her years. And while sometimes I miss that teeny tiny baby who used to sleep on my shoulder, I am enchanted by the person she is becoming.