Imperfections — in things, in people, in places — add character to life. Tell us about an imperfection that you cherish.

When Little B was born he had two tiny pinpricks of angry red on his otherwise pure white skin.  One at the top of his leg and one to the right of his mouth.  At the time there was no explanation for these marks and we though nothing of them.  During the two weeks that we spent in the Special Baby Care Unit they began to grow and one of the paediatricians explained that they were ‘Infantile haemangiomas‘, otherwise known as ‘strawberry marks’.  They explained that they would grow in size for a period of time and then gradually lose colour, shrink and eventually disappear.

To being with I was concerned – would they cause him pain?  Would the one on the top of his leg cause trouble with nappy changing?   Would they bleed if they were knocked?  The answer to all of the above questions was a resounding ‘no’.  We looked at a few pictures on the internet and, as a teacher, I became concerned for him when he became older.  Children can be very cruel.  I was reassured by the fact they normally shrink by the time they’re 7.

Now, however, my opinion has completely reversed.  They’re part of him.  They’ve started to shrink and I’ll miss them when they’re gone.  They’re part of the landscape of his face and a memory of how far he has travelled after the rather scary start.   They make him more gorgeous in my eyes, though I may be ever so slightly biased!