“Sit”

At 7 a.m., the duvet is thrown off my body. I open one eye to find the duvet. I reach down and pull it back up to my chin.

“Be a good girl, Joy,” I mumble to the toddler standing next to me.

Joy grabs the corner of the duvet and pulls it down to my knees.

“Okay, Joy,” I say. “I’m up.” I yawn. “Maybe once in a while you can pull the covers off Mommy.”

Joy takes my hand and leads me to the kitchen.

We agree to have Cheerios for breakfast, and chocolate milk to drink. And a bagel with lots of cream cheese and jelly. I make a cup of pour-over coffee.

Joy gives me a kiss that leaves a smear of cream cheese on my cheek.

“Sit,” she says. This is Joy’s latest word, and it’s perfect. I understand her completely.

“Sit?” I ask in feigned ignorance.

“Sit.”

So I sit next to her at the kitchen table. And she makes funny faces and hilarious hand gestures. I laugh.

Later, downstairs, Joy climbs on the stationary bike.

“Sit,” she says to me, pointing to the rowing machine.

So I sit on the rower and watch her try to reach the pedals on the bike. (Never gonna happen.) She gets off the bike and taps me on the shoulder as I work the rowing machine.

“Sit,” she says, pointing to the bike. Joy takes the rowing machine. I hop on the bike. Joy is very adept at the rowing machine.

Then she gets down on the carpet. She slaps the floor with the palm of her hand.

“Sit.”

I sit next to her and she immediately pushes me onto my back.

She leans over and gives me a kiss on the lips and then a peck on each eyelid.

Throughout the day, Joy will find a moment to take my hand, look up at me, and say, “Sit.”

To be honest, I do a lot of sitting already. My job is sitting at a laptop and moving words around.

But to Joy, sitting is daddy-daughter time. It has nothing to do with work.

To Joy, sit means “close the laptop and hold me on your lap instead.” Sit means “sit next to me, Daddy, and help me with blocks.” Sit means “spend time with me, watch me splash in the tub.” Sit means “see what I can do, Daddy.” Sit means “stay home a while longer.” Sit means “I love you.”

So, sit is my favorite word. For now.

Because, dear daughter, there are more words on the way, like dancing, skating, bowling, musicals, movies, swimming, picnics, and a hundred others.