raveller quoted Dicey's Song (The Tillerman Series #2) by Cynthia Voigt (Tillerman)
When Momma abandoned Dicey Tillerman and her three siblings in a mall parking lot and …
Content warning Spoiler for the first book, Homecoming
"Home. Home with their momma's momma, who was also a Tillerman. Home: a home with plenty of room for the four children in the shabby farmhouse, room inside, room outside, and the kind of room within Gram too--Dicey had seen Gram and how she listened when Maybeth sang, how she talked with James, how her eyes smiled at the things Sammy said and did--the kind of room that was what they really needed." (1)
— Dicey's Song (The Tillerman Series #2) by Cynthia Voigt (Tillerman) (Page 1)
This is a beautiful quote about parenting and reminds me of the Toni Morrison quote about showing a child you are glad to see them when they walk in the room:
(from Brene Brown summarizing the Oprah episode): "Morrison explained that it’s interesting to watch what happens when a child walks into a room. She asked, “Does your face light up?”
She explained, “When my children used to walk in the room when they were little, I looked at them to see if they had buckled their trousers or if their hair was combed or if their socks were up. You think your affection and your deep love is on display because you’re caring for them. It’s not. When they see you, they see the critical face. What’s wrong now?”
Her advice was simple, but paradigm-shifting for me. She said: “Let your face speak what’s in your heart. When they walk in the room my face says I’m glad to see them. It’s just as small as that, you see?”" brenebrown.com/articles/2019/08/07/what-toni-morrison-taught-me-about-parenting/