Here's why I think so. Maeve asks us regularly, What do you like about me? and then listens earnestly to our replies, making helpful suggestions in case we draw a blank after a few minutes. Or she'll ask more specifically, What do you like about how silly I am? What do you like about my singing?
Sometimes she deploys this weapon when she's in trouble, when I am still angry about something that's just happened. Mom, you love me, right? What do you love about me? It's actually a pretty good calming exercise, as it's pretty hard to name things you like about your daughter and stay mad at her at the same time. Which I think she has figured out.
Not that it works when I turn it around on her. When she's angry, and I say, what do you like about me? she just gives me the look of death, grits her teeth, and mutters: nothing. But I didn't really expect it to work, it was just worth a try.
So I'm pretty sure Maeve's fishing for compliments game shows that she's pretty convinced we all have infinite mental lists of things we love about her.
Which, well, we do.
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| Things I like about Maeve: a propensity to wrap up in blankets, a sweet smile, and eyes that remind me of my mother, to name a few. |
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