Just one of the lessons I've learned from G

On the train coming home from NYC, I realized how friendly I found most of the people in NY (although we didn't have to drive anywhere. Typically, I find people in Baltimore friendly until I get behind the wheel of a car. Back to the topic ...) The people were friendly because I was friendly and I talked to them like they were people. G is really the one responsible for teaching this to me. Ever since G was born, she has liked to be talked to. In fact when she was newborn, the only I could get her to stop crying was to talk to her. She is a chatterbox, and really always has been, but she really likes to be talked to and she likes explanations even if she can't always understand. It was hard for me to learn to keep up the running commentary when she was a baby. Now it is easier because she just keeps asking me questions. I think that G feels the most loved when I talk to her, share things with her and so forth. I am learning that others like to be talked to as well. Out and about in NY, N and I found many friendly people and we wouldn't have known that they were friendly if we didn't talk to them, usually we talked to them first. Of course, part of talking to people is listening to them when it is their turn to talk.

Now I just need to continue to talk to G and help her to understand that sometimes Mom needs a break from the talking and the listening.