Lately she's been fighting like a rapid badger to get out of our arms as we carry her to-and-from the car across the slippery, uneven winter ground.


No longer content to be portable. She wants to walk everywhere. With small, shuffling, cautious steps. Arms out to the sides for balance. Loudly demanding a helping hand when a challenge arises. A big step. A patch of ice. Deeper snow. Giggling and chatting the whole time.

The other day it was warm enough for the perpetual ice on our entrance walkway to have melted (just a tease, it's back). She would have happily walked up and down for hours. And, naturally, as her geeky-proud parents we had to capture the moment. We laughed at ourselves. At our willing embrace of yet another parental cliche.

We laughed even harder when we noticed the neighbours enjoying the parental-paparazzi spectacle from their living room window.

And later, looking at the photos, embracing one more cliche by realizing it's incredibly wonderful. The uncomplicated joy that a happy child can elicit in others.