Seeing as how I married a musician and music critic, it is no surprise our daughter is an avid concert-goer. No, we aren't taking her to late-night shows at the Empty Bottle. We're joining other parents-of-small-children at free outdoor concerts at Chicago's Millennium Park and in Scoville Park in Oak Park.
Last night we had dinner with friends as we took in a swing band. Z had a grand ole time as always, twirling, rolling, and inventing new yoga poses for attention. But more charming than her attention-grabbing tricks was a moment when she stopped performing and said, "Somebody's crying."
"Does somebody need a hug?" I asked.
"Yes. Somebody's crying need a hug."
Then she got up, surveyed the crowd and found a somewhat morose-looking 10 or 11 year old girl sitting about 20 feet away. She toddled right up to her, gave her a hug, patted her head and sat down in front of her for a "chat." What I wouldn't give to know what Z was saying!
And in further demonstration that I have given birth to a confirmed extrovert: Z tried to buy the friendship of an elderly couple with the offering of plastic cutlery and Teddy Grahams, she petted the gray dog belonging to a family of long-haired bookworms (seriously, 4 out of 5 of them were reading library books during the concert!), and she "borrowed" the baby-doll stroller of another little girl and pushed it 100 feet away before I caught up with her.
