SOMETHING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO 30!

Just yesterday I was turning 30, but something happened along the way . . . I woke up one morning, and I was almost twice that age. Where did the years ago? And where did my body go? I was one of those skinny girls, which was not as fashionable back in the day as now.... then, curves were in! I could never gain weight no matter how much I ate. Now I can never lose weight . . . no matter how little I eat. Ironic isn't it? Age has a way of doing that to you.

Turning 30 never bothered me; neither did 40, nor did 50. I'll not deny that I'm old . . . I have my little granddaughter, Hailey, around to remind me and to tell everyone else. When she recently commented that I was a little bit fat, her mom scolded her, but she lovingly replied, "It's okay, Mommy, because GaGa's really, really old!" Kids are brutally honest, aren't they! I'm also reminded of the time my little godson sat in my lap, and exclaimed, "Wow! Aunt Susan's got two stomachs!" 

And then there was the time when Hailey and I took a plane trip together, and she dropped a bottle of chocolate milk, just as we were settling in our seats. I quickly dove down to retrieve it before it spilled everywhere. WIth my head down and rear up in the air, Hailey, in a loud voice, issued an alert to the passengers, who were still boarding the plane: "What out everybody or Gaga's big bumper's gonna get you!" You should have heard the chuckles, and seen the smiles that were directed at me. When we finally reached our destination, everyone who passed me gave me a sympathetic pat on the back! And then another plane trip that we almost missed since we were stuck in Mardi Gras traffic, was the even more embarrassing! Because her dad was an athlete, everyone in security already knew Hailey, and they rushed her on through. When I finally got through security, I told her to run to the gate, and she didn't have to wait on GaGa, to tell them I was right behind her. When we got on the plane, everyone applauded. Hailey said, "Thank you for holding this plane . . . my GaGa is so old that she can't run very fast!" Everyone burst into laughter, and then . . . more sympathetic looks!

But the comment that topped them all? On a recent trip to Washington, we were rushing from a causal event to a black tie party. Normally, I am modest in front of our granddaughter, but we were in a bit hurry, so I quickly changed my clothes in front of her. "GaGa!" Hailey gasped in horror. "How did your boobs get down there . . . Mommy's are up here," she noted, pointing just under her chin! My husband Ken and I fell on the floor and dissolved into laughter. There's just nothing like an innocent child to tell you the truth! Of course, she's so innocent that she has no clue that she is insulting me, so I find great humor in her little comments . . . obviously or I wouldn't be writing about them in a blog!

I have friends who would have taken to their beds for a week had they been the recipients of these comments! But truthfully, Hailey showers me with so many compliments that they far outweigh her other observations and comments. When I visited her class, she told her classmates. "Just touch her hair . . . it's so soft. GaGa doesn't have grandmother hair!" And then she told me she loved to sleep with me, because I was so soft . . . so much for the hard body I once had! Ha! And I love it when she tells me, "GaGa, Mommy's plain, but you and I are fancy!"

There is just nothing like an innocent child to tell you the brutal truth. Grandchildren are definitely God's compensation for growing old! Ken and I rarely stop laughing when Hailey is around.