La Dani

November 8th, 2006

I talked to my sister tonight while she was at the hairdresser’s. She had had a haircut herself. Erica (7) had had a “trim”—there was near-panic, I’m told, over the possibility of Miss Long Locks losing a centimeter or two of her length—and as we spoke, Dani (4) was in the chair. Cutting Dani’s hair has to be one of the most challenging jobs a human can do, right up there with coordinating the commuter train system in Tokyo, and building things in Space. Dani cannot—canNOT—be silent. She must talk at all times. (Yes, she talks in her sleep.) What she talks ABOUT varies. She narrates her own activities, recalls memories aloud, describes the things she is capable of or wants to do. All the while, the little blonde head is moving animatedly.

She comes by it all naturally. My father is a fantastic storyteller who loves to converse. One of the most frequent callers to my cell phone, he enjoys nothing more than chatting up one of his daughters or his wife. (And we love you for it, Dad—thanks for keeping in touch with us, and for keeping all of us in touch with each other.) My sister inherited the storytelling ability, and Erica has it, too, although her genre is more imaginative (bordering on science fiction accounts of HER days) than Dani’s “reporter” style blow-by-blow chronicling. Of course, “I” do so little talking and storytelling you have maybe never heard my voice.

So as Dani blabbers away, and the hairdresser patiently repeats, “Be still, OK?” in the background, my sister tells me about her own new haircut and then, interrupting herself, she calls over to her daughter, “Dani, if you be completely still while Kim trims your bangs, I’ll give you a prize later.” Bribing your daughter with candy to keep her from losing an eye? Brilliant parenting, if you ask me.

2 Responses to “La Dani”

  1. dad Says:

    I, as the Grandad, can just imagine Dani in a hairdressers chair. You have to imagine the get-up for Hannibal Lector to keep Dani stiill (and I am not sure that would be effective).

    As for MY storytelling style. My favorite subjectsa in life are;Pauline, Krissy, Cheri, Erica, Dani, son-in-laws (I have a tendency to brag on a couple of them). AND general comments on my daughters Blogs.

  2. ma Says:

    She can carry on a non-stop monologue while playing music at full volume and jumping on the Jumping Bed. That’s how talented she is!

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