While waiting in the doctor’s office one long afternoon, a grandmother and her cranky four-year-old granddaughter sat beside me. They, too, were waiting while the mother was with the doctor.
Nothing the exhausted grandmother offered the cranky tot was acceptable, and the whining continued.
Boldly, I picked up the closest magazine and asked if she wanted to look at the magazine with me.
Turning to the first page, I faced an ad for a car, complete with a very distinguished, mature-looking man standing beside the door.
I pointed to the man and asked the whimpering little girl, “Who do you think this is?”
“Grandpa,” she muffled a reply.
“Where is he going?” I asked.
“He’s going to the store,” replied the tiny voice between sniffs.
Next, I asked, “Where are you?
She stopped a minute, then as her eyes twinkled, she pointed one tear-soaked finger to the car’s passenger seat, then playfully jerked her finger back again and looked into my eyes.
“There you are!” I exclaimed and turned the page.
Next ad.
The four-year-old and I enjoyed the magazine for the duration of the wait, and the grandmother enjoyed the peace and quiet.
Finally, it was time for the little girl to leave and the grandmother winked at me and mouthed the words, “Thank you.”