My daughter’s favorite person in the whole world is her Joon. My daughter is almost five and she is one of the most socially, active kids I know, yet her best friend is my mom who she affectionately calls Joon or Jooni Joon or Grandma when she is talking to people who don’t know that Joon is a term of endearment in Farsi *smile*
My mother met my daughter for the first time when Zara was a little over a month old and it was love at first sight. At the time, my mom had been living in Southern California, where I grew up, for nearly 30 years. Shortly after that visit to Vermont, my mom called me and said that she was thinking about moving to Vermont and wanted to know what my husband and I thought about the idea. Zara was her only grandchild and it was important to her that she was close enough so she could watch her grow up. Was she kidding? She was willing to leave a good job, the California sunshine and my brother to be close to us? Did she know that winter lasts about five months in Vermont? Did she realize how much snow we get and how cold it gets? We loved the idea so we just kept all the pesky facts about winters in Vermont to ourselves so she would not change her mind.
We put the move in motion and just a few months later, my husband flew out to Los Angeles to help my mom drive cross country. They made the drive in two and a half days in a Toyota Yaris filled to the brim. Neither one of them could wait to get home to our amazing little girl.
Practically it was amazing having my mom here. I was due to go back to work part time shortly after my mom arrived and it was such a relief to have her stay with Zara when I was at work. It was also great to have her help when I felt overwhelmed or sleep deprived as a new mom.
But what has been priceless and amazing is watching this beautiful relationship develop between the two of them.
They are thick as thieves, partners in crime and best friends. Not only has my mom been one of my daughter’s caregivers from the time she was a baby, she has played a huge roll in her life forming a wonderful bond that will make my daughter a better person.
My mom has always had this incredible ability to make my daughter laugh and giggle on queue. She held her for more than she should have as a baby and when she started to learn how to walk she would bend over for hours helping her as they “walked” throughout the house. She spoon fed her even when Zara knew how to feed herself and to this day takes special food orders from my four and half year old. She made her all her baby food and made fresh orange juice for her every day in the winter months. She sewed her satin pillow cases and knitted her beautiful blankets. The sound of their giggles fills my house on a regular basis and my mom continues to get a workout when she spends the day with Zara since neither one of them can sit still for more than five minutes. She kisses her boo boos and rubs her back and will threaten serious hurt to anyone who would dare look at my daughter the wrong way!
As my daughter gets older, their relationship gets stronger turning into a beautiful friendship.
They now have more serious conversations as Zara tells her about her day and fills her in on her friends. She reports much of the on goings of our home to my mom which makes us all laugh. And slowly I watch as Zara becomes the teacher and start to teach my mom things she is learning out in the world.
