Article Link: http://stage.exchangepress.com/article/a-manner-of-speaking/5018195/
Caroline’s curls fall across her face as she focuses on the very, very long zigzaggy line she is drawing. Three of us sit around the table with paper and markers, time, and an idea �" four-year-old Caroline, her “Mama” (my sister/friend Jean), and me.“Let’s all draw the same thing,” we decide.
“I'm going to draw a cat,” I suggest, and our heads bend in concentration. Jean’s drawing is from the tail end of the cat, mine is just the head �" and you can see Caroline’s for yourself.
We consider each other’s drawings and enjoy the differences and details. “Now it’s your turn, Caroline.”
“I'm going to draw a flower.” Jean and I get sidetracked �" as you can see, Caroline has
time to add a watering can.
“Mama? Your turn.”
“I’m going to draw a window.”
“I’m going to draw something in the window.”
And so we go, round and round.
We were entertaining Caroline (okay, so it was the other way around, really) with a drawing game. Of course, since Jean and I would talk between turns, about all sorts of things, including who we want to be in the lives of children in general and our grandchildren in particular. At one point I ...