Quincey said 'I'm anxious'
I said, "what are you anxious about?" (I felt like I was searching for buried treasure, would I actually find out? It might be possible!)
"I'm anxious about my mommy and daddy." (oh my gosh, am I actually going to find out about her feelings? -George never has deep feelings he expresses like this. They're the same age, but he's a boy, big difference!)
"Why?" I asked.
"I'm anxious because I miss them" she said.
I assured her everything would be ok, and we talked it out a little bit, and I explained that her mommy and daddy were on a wonderful date and would be back soon. It was awesome girl talk.
A few minutes later as I was coming back from the fridge, Quincey said again that she was anxious. As I started asking why, she said, "no, I'm talking to George." And proceeded to tell him how she missed her mommy and daddy. George sat there saying nothing. I thought, 'Oh, he begins his journy on understanding women.' I then instructed George on how to respond as he remained silent. "George, say, 'I'm sorry you feel sad". He copied, but I have the feeling he was a bit clueless on what was taking place. My lesson I was trying to teach: show empathy but don't try to correct the situation, let her express her feeling while feeling validated. Awesome. :) George, lesson one started, though it may take you many years to get it down and understand.