Gorilla

Jasmine is going to be three years old tomorrow.

Three years isn't such a long time in the equation of life, but it was long enough for me to see every amazing new page in her life. What makes these three years special is the way my ever-more-independent daughter changes and grows. Gone is the packing of napkins every time we go out, so too is the bib. Before you know it, she walks. Before you know it, she talks. Before you know it, she is learning to use dental floss.

It's amazing that Jasmine loves storybooks, too. In fact, we bought so many books that she can reach with minimal effort. Some are silly like Gruffalo and Room on the Broom, others unfailingly interesting and humorous (yes, I mean Good Night, Gorilla).

Which brings me to a Sunday afternoon at the countryside. When we were looking for the helmet crabs, Jasmine tiptoed behind her mum's back, looking amused. I didn't know what's going on, except a glimpse of Jasmine who grabbed something from the pocket of her mum's trousers. I saw nothing and yet knew that Jasmine was somehow, by some miracle, really carrying something important. "Shhhhhhh.... this is funny," said her silly look.

"Honey," I said, "what'd you just take?"

"Keys," my daughter whispered. She held out her right hand as if opening a gate with an invisible key. "Out comes the elephant."

I got my intuition back when I made space for it, when I almost "heard" the clattering of keys in Jasmine's hand. Wow! She was pretending to be the Gorilla in the storybook. See, Gorilla tiptoed, followed by an elephant. Then a giraffe. And a hyena...

"And... armadillo!" We both laughed.