Whistling While You Work...

My car, my house-my very world sounds as though it has been invaded by canaries. It is maddening. And I just don't have the heart to send that canary back down in the mines...since it is a human canary, appearing in the form of Flipper-The Amazing Whistling 5 Year-Old. It sticks in my craw-not to mention my ears-that she can whistle, and does so at every single opportunity that her mouth is not otherwise engaged in TALKING and EATING.

Why does it irk me that Flipper spends almost every waking moment warbling like a bird? Well, because her ascension to the ranks of a real, honest-to-gosh whistler in my family leaves ME as the ONLY non-whistler in the family!!! I can't whistle. I tried for years. It eludes me. Yelling at my dogs works just fine. And, how kind of Flipper, she likes to point out my inadequacy as a whistler every chance she gets.

"Are you sad that you can't whistle like me, Mommy? Maybe you'll be able to when you're OLDER. Me, Aunt Kathryn, Daddy, Grampy and Smokey can all whistle. Did you know you're the only one in our WHOLE FAMILY that can't? Did you know that?"

And so on. And on, and on and on. It is excruciating. Almost as excruciating as the past 5 months, as I experienced her "learning curve" of whistling. This in an area where I admire her and also look at her as an utter stranger. She has an incredible ability to really, really work at something over and over again until she gets it. And ability I lack, by the way. I want to be the instant expert at something, or else I want to quit. Lame, I know. Really lame. But, them's the breaks. But Flipper will set her mind on something, and then go for it. I admire this quality immensely, even though I don't share it (unfortunately). And so all summer long, she practiced. And practiced. Pursed lips, fat cheeks, endless puffs of air. Tiny squeaks, little trills. She's driving me crazy!! And now 5 months later, she has progressed beyond tiny squeaks to small bars of music, tuneless bars, mind you, but music just the same. And so, as maddening as it is, it is music to my ears.