I'm standing at the stove stirring the spaghetti sauce, it has been one of those busy days when dinner is the last thing on my mind. Nothing too fancy, everyone will be home soon and I just need to put something on the table, when my granddaughter says "sit with me GiGi" and of course I can't refuse.
I have found “sit with me” is just my granddaughter’s way of saying pay attention to me. This pulls at my heartstrings, as she leads me by the hand to her play table and I enter her world as only a grandmother could. There is a hidden little girl inside all of us and the secret world of play comes naturally.
We sit together coloring and she chats away, looking at me from time to time with a smile and I realize we all want someone to listen to us. We want someone to spend time with us, no matter our age. I find myself in the evening asking my husband to sit with me and realize this is a deja vu moment.
As women we are preprogrammed for conversation, we are always one step ahead, waiting to pounce on the pause and jump in with something to say. Our idea of a wonderful time is one that involves conversation I find this to be true with my granddaughter. Just recently she went to childcare at the gym while her mother worked out. Afterward, her mom asked her if she had a good time, and her reply, “I talked to nobody”. That says it all.
Even though her vocabulary is limited her love for conversation is obvious. She will talk about almost anything, not that I always understand her. It is usually phrases like "what's that" or "that's mine".
She explores my home like a pirate looking for booty. Her favorite spot to loot is my closet. She looks up at my shoe rack and marvels at the array of treasure.
She is enamored with my vast war chest, pulling them off the shelf and putting them on the wrong feet, stumbling around like a drunk on a bender. Her love for high heels in inbred into her, and if they have rhinestones all the better.
The best part about this story is I have another granddaughter who is 5 months old. I think she has been eyeing my jewelry. When I look into her deep blue eyes I sense she is trying to tell me something, perhaps it is "GiGi sit with me".