Daisy

After finishing a book on empathy by the psychologist Simon Baron-Cohen tonight, I switched topic and read Double Daisy with my daughter. That's a hilarious chapter book for intermediate readers.

Now that Jasmine has turned six, I don't really have to read the book for her. Not because I'm less willing to read but because she's more willing to read. In other words, I simply sit next to her when she reads aloud. What an amazing habit to bestow on our children.

To be extra clear, I didn't simply sit next to my daughter when she read the Daisy book by Kes Gray. I listened. The more I've learned about Daisy and her best friend Gabby, the deeper I was drawn to the story. Their conversation reminds me to view the world from another angle - through the eyes of children. Once, Daisy had trouble with getting cheese out of the triangle and then squeezed it all over her fingers. Her mum said, "Cheese triangles are really easy to open when you know how." (I admit I would have said the same thing.)

"That's the trouble with grown-ups," Daisy said. "They know everything. At least they think they do."

Now I know I don't.