Recently Baby taught herself something new. In the past, if Baby wanted to sit with me while I was working in the office, she delicately stepped off my desk into my lap. Generally, however, she came near to indicate her interest. Eager to have her sit with me, I would swivel my office chair, reach out, and pick her up. At this point, she usually acted disinterested before settling in and purring.
Lately, when Baby comes to my office and approaches my chair, I swivel around and wait. I don’t lean down or lift her. I press those eager hands of mine across my belly as I coo and encourage her, telling Baby it’s alright to jump up… if she wants. And then I wait.
At first when I tried this, Baby made churring noises as she prowled in circles around my chair. But I am patient. One circle, two, sometimes three. A trip over to the window and back, I simply awaited her pleasure. Back near my feet once again, she measured the distance and leapt into my lap.
How wonderful, I realized as she purred, that I let her know my interest and let her choose. Now she comes to me freely and we both win.
Baby has started taking new risks: jumping into my lap in our dining room, or the living room couch, and in my big reading chair.
Before I knew it, she had jumped up onto my lap for seven days in a row, sometimes more than once a day… But then again, who’s counting?
By Ariel — © 1996 – 2026 www.transformationmadeeasy.com. Click to subscribe to our newsletter and blog.