Little Sticker Girl

Recently a customer came up to the front desk with her young daughter - perhaps 4 years old. The little girl had been to the library before and knew that we offer young children colourful stickers just before they leave the library. Children love this and many will ask for a sticker before we have a chance to offer one. Well, as I was helping her mother the little girl politely asked if she could have a sticker. I told her that she certainly could have a sticker right after I helped her mother. After perhaps 10 seconds the little girl for a sticker again and again I responded that in just a couple of minutes I would come to the end of the counter and let her pick a sticker. The little girl was so excited she immediately ran to the end of the counter lifted her arms above her shoulders, and placed both of her little hands up on the counter and held them there, like a little typist - wrists up, fingers down. She didn't move and she didn't say anything. She just kept both of her arms up and waited for her stickers. As I served her mother I kept glancing over at the little girl. After about 1 or 2 minutes she still had not moved - nor did she say anything - she just waited. Have you ever held your arms out in front of you - above your shoulders? Try it. You'll last about 1 minute. She was so sweet and patient and I laughed as I watched her waiting so politely that I told her mother I had better give her a sticker early as we still had a few minutes of tasks ahead and I didn't want her little daughter to hold her arms out the entire time. I held out the page of stickers and offered the little girl one sticker for each hand. She deserved it after all that hard work. She carefully picked her two stickers and I placed them on the backs of her hands. For the next few minutes while waiting for her mother, the little girl waited quietly - holding her hands out before her and smiling as she admired her two new stickers.