If any of our neighbors were listening to the sounds coming from my house at bedtime tonight, I fear what they think what was happening inside. Stella had a mega-meltdown when I dumped out an overflowing Tupperware in her bath, which apparently was serving as a tub for her Disney figurines. I am tired, I am hot, I am pregnant, and Tim has been gone for work for the past three days, so my patience is running thin for irrational temper tantrums. It's hard to remember in these moments that, at only three years old, her imagination is often her reality - and the things which seem totally irrational to me at age 31 are incredibly meaningful to her at age three. Instead of completely losing my cool I proceeded to take things away from her when she screamed in my face (she lost her bedtime story), and when she told me she didn't like me and I wasn't special (she had to wear a shirt to bed instead of a dress). Her crying was hysterical and it honestly sounded like FAR worse things were happening in our household then no bedtime story and no dresses. As I walked downstairs after she told me, through her tears, that she didn't want to see me anymore, my heart sank. How could I let the night end this way?
I walked back upstairs after taking a moment to pray and cool off and I crawled into bed with her. I gently explained that I will always love her, no matter what. We talked through her consequences, and I'm 99% sure she understood by the time I left her room. We prayed together that God would help us to have patience with one another, to be kind, to use our words, and to love each other as God loves us. After I was done praying, Stella nodded her head in agreement and said, "That was a good prayer, mom." And, I assured her she can wear a dress tomorrow.
"Because of the Lord's great love, we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail.
They are new every morning, great is your faithfulness." Lamentations 3: 22-23
