Dreaded Words My Daughter Said
Dreaded Words My Daughter Said
She asked if we could go somewhere and talk…
The dreaded words that came from my 8-year-old taught me something new today. For the past few weeks, I’ve tried to teach my little girl not to worry so much, to try not to project or assume the worst in situations, yet there I was, doing the same.
School begins again this week. We’ve had a great break. The girls and I have been busy this vacation. Today was actually one of the only “down” days we had. We took a quick trip to Barnes and Noble (our happy home away from home). After getting her hot chocolate, Little Miss 8-year-old asked if we could go somewhere and talk. I said yes, of course, and left my 7-year-old with my husband to look through some books. We walked around the store, found a spot surrounded by shelves with animal books and sat down on the ground. I began dreading the words I thought were going to come out of her mouth. I feared another week of awful mornings filled with tears because she didn’t want to go to school. My stomach started to ache, and my heart started beating so fast, I could barely handle it. I let her lead the conversation.
The unexpected happened. She really just wanted to hang out with her mom and “just talk.” She wanted to talk about stuff I hadn’t talked to her about in a long time. Most of our latest conversations have been about her and how to handle situations she’s been uncomfortable with. They have been stressful and very painful… for both of us. Tonight though, my little girl just wanted to talk to her mama. “Just talk,” and it felt great.
So tonight, like every other night lately, I will hold my palms up to the sky and pray. I will pray for my babies. I will pray for them to be ok, for God to look out for them and help them through uncomfortable situations, to hold their hand when I cannot, and to love them. I will still pray for my strength to get through these times, and to help me be the best parent I can be, even when I get frustrated. I will still pray, but I will also rest my head on my pillow tonight with a smile and tons of faith, knowing that my baby will get through this. One day at a time, we will all get through this stage in her life. I just know it.
