Liana’s a very empathetic little girl. She gets very upset when she hears a baby crying, and wants to be assured that everything is alright. She cares deeply about the characters in her stories, and frequently asks “Is OK mommy? Is OK?” when someone is facing challenges or problems. Her daycare provider comments on the empathy she shows for the other kids, and describes it as “una caractoristica muy noble.” I couldn’t agree more. I love the fact that she cares so much about others.

But sometimes I worry that she worries too much. In one of her Dr. Seuss books, there is the guy whose feet stick out of the end of his bed. Ned, I think. She would get so upset when we got to that page, exclaiming that he was stuck, asking if he was OK, and turning back to the page as we progressed in the story, that I’ve stopped reading that particular book. She’s a lousy sleeper, and the last thing I want her to be concerned about is problems in bed.

Last night we were reading Hop on Pop. When we got to the “Wet, Get. Two dogs get wet. Help. Yelp. They yelp for help” part, she put her hand on the page to prevent me from turning it, and said, “Mommy, I put on my backpack and boots and save the dogs?”

Thank you Dora for the backpack. Thank you Diego for saving all of those animals. Instead of being trapped in concern, Liana has used role models from other stories, and decided to solve the dogs’ dilemma herself.

Have I told you recently how much I love this little girl?