I spent the day with Breezy recently while her parents took her sister to an all-day softball tournament. We had a perfectly delightful day shopping, and hanging out at the skating rink, which also has video games, laser tag, a jungle gym, food, prizes…..it’s just an all-around cool place.

But in the car to-and-from we had some quality time for good conversation about summertime and school.  I learned a thing or two about my little 6-year-old Breezy.

“Gigi, the summer is almost over, isn’t it?” she asked. “Well, yes, there about 3 or 4 weeks left,” I replied. “I hope there are 4 weeks left,” she said. “So, on the first day of fall I have to go back to school?” she inquired. Hmmmmm. I didn’t really want to go there with her. I didn’t want to explain that the vernal equinox really doesn’t happen until well into September, and back-in-the-day school didn’t start until after Labor Day, but somewhere along the line some brilliant person got the great idea that kids should go back to school in the hottest part of the summer. Ummmmm.   That would probably just confuse her or made her mad!  I remained suspiciously silent.

“I wish we could start the summer over without All Stars,” (her softball team obligations) she added.

“Yea, All Stars took up a lot of the summer, didn’t it?” I queried. “Yes, it did,” she said.

“Are you glad that your teacher is coming back from having her baby and you’ll have her again?” At her charter school she will have the same teacher in first grade that she had in Kindergarten. “Oh, I guess.” “Well, why do you say it that way?” “Oh, I just don’t like school,” she replied.

“Really?” I said. “What is it you don’t like about school?” “It’s BORING,” she said emphatically.  She changed the subject.

“Gigi, let’s play truth or dare.”   “OK,” I agreed, “truth or dare?” “Truth,” she said. I followed with, “Is it true that one time you went to the nurse’s office instead of going to Spanish class?” “Well, let’s not talk about school, because that may just be true.” “Oh, OK. We won’t talk about school,” I agreed, not wanting to push my luck.

We played truth or dare for a while. She dared me to eat a piece of grass or do a hundred ‘head, shoulders, knees, and toes.’ Neither one sounded particularly inviting.

Eventually she said, “Gigi, I love you.” “Oh, I love you too, so much,” I gushed. She said, “Do you know how much I love you?” She continued, “I love you 100 and 1,000, but I love my Daddy, Mommy, and Sissy more.”   “Oh sweetie, I know that, and that is as it should be,” I said with a big smile.

There are always those questions about, “If you could choose anyone, living or dead, who would you like to sit on a bench with and have a conversation with for an hour?”   No question, I would choose Breezy!  She is a great conversationalist. I love talking with her anytime, anywhere. She is entertaining and thoughtful in her questions and discussions.

I can’t wait to spend time with her again. I look forward to our next conversation.

How about you?  Who would you want to sit on a bench with and converse for an hour?

dmzh