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Big Stuff

Our usual Monday morning play group got rescheduled to Friday after the hosting toddler was sick all night last night. We were ready a little early so we were all dressed up with no place to go when we got the text. I decided to go ahead and get out of the house. We did our chicken chores then stopped by our local grocery for produce.

And went to the post office to check our PO box and mail Ayden's birthday thank you cards. Then we went to my parents house for a visit. It is always so hard to pull Ayden away from there so we did not get home for his nap until 2:30.

When we got home he was eating on an apple and on his way in from the car a couple of chickens snatched it right out of his hands. He was overdue for his nap so his fuse was short and his heart was broken!  He had tears streaming down his cheeks and he kept saying, "I wanted that apple!" Over and over. It is so hard as a parent to witness your child experiencing heartbreak, even if it is just over an apple. I huged him, validated and labeled his feelings, explained that the chickens LOVE apples and thought he wanted to share, offered him a replacement apple (which he refused) and just held him. He finally asked to nurse which he has not done in the middle of the day for a while. He just could not find peace with what happened without a little help. He nursed, we read book, he fell asleep. It thought surely he would forget all about it but he woke up crying and saying, "I wanted that apple!"

He eventually did move on but he truly believed those chickens did him wrong, poor little guy!  I did not tell him that perhaps it was his own fault since he usually gives the chickens pieces of whatever he is eating. They had no idea that he was not in his usual sharing mood...  All I can hope is that he was able to take a lesson from this experience. Even if it is only to hold his apple a little higher next time.

This is what life is all about. Living and learning through experiences each and everyday. For now I have the comfort in knowing that we are here to help him through. We can only hope that someday, when he's all grown up and on his own, we will have helped him develop the ability to make it through learning life's hard lessons on his own and become a better man because of them.

How do you help your kiddos cope with heartbreak?


Here's what we were up to one year ago today: "Little Ayden Had A Farm"
And two years ago today: "Magical Music"