My oldest granddaughter is just like me.

Tilleigh, a kindergartner, has my hair, wit, temperament, personality, passion, mannerisms, my occasional flare for drama and my skills at communicating. The older she gets, the more evident it becomes.

A TV program we watched recently about a mischievous child prompted the following conversation:

Me: "Do you ever get in trouble at school?"

Tilleigh: "Will I get in trouble if I tell you?"

Me: "No, because you'll be telling me the truth."

Tilleigh: "Sometimes."

Me: "What did you do?"

Tilleigh: "You know, Mom. It's my thing. Talking."

For those who know me, talking is my thing, too. It got me into trouble when I was a child in school. As an adult at work, a co-worker and I were separated because we laughed too much.

And like me, Tilleigh loves to write. She's always penning notes about how much she loves me or how much I love her. She also pretends to be a reporter and interviews me.

On Easter Sunday, after not seeing her for four days because I had the flu, Tilleigh sat in my lap or stayed next to me the entire day. At one point, when I was having a conversation with my mother, Tilleigh handed me a note.

It read: "Your r not paen inuf atien to me."

Interpretation: "You are not paying enough attention to me."

Be still my heart.

The child is, without a doubt, mine. I like getting attention, too.

I hope that we always have this closeness and open line of communication. I want Tilleigh to feel confident that she can share her feelings with me regardless of the subject matter.

It's wildly obvious that my granddaughter and I are two of a kind, but it also makes me very aware of how important it is that I'm a good role model. I want to be someone she not only loves, but admires.

Contact staff writer Karen Nazor Hill at khill@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6396. Follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/karennazorhill. Subscribe to her posts on Facebook at www.facebook.com/karen nazorhill.