Bed Time Talk

Bed time talks are the best.  As our minds and bodies are winding down from the day and thoughts of what we did earlier run through our mind and allow us to evaluate the things we did or should have done, it's nice to have someone there to share all these thoughts with.

Last night, Sym was having a really rough time falling asleep.  She has nights where she thinks so much about going to school the next day that she has anxiety.  As she was crying last night and giving me all her same reasons for not wanting to go to school (long days, nap time, too many rules, mean friends, etc) she said that a lot of her friends miss their mommies, too.  I saw this as an opportunity to point out the fact that she's not alone in not wanting to go to school because she misses me.  That she needed to be tough and be a big sister to all her friends b/c she's one of the biggest kids in class.  She then proceeded to tell me a story about her friend, Heidi.

There's a little reading nook in their classroom that only fits one person.  To be in there, you have to have a center tag. Heidi was hiding inside the nook, but didn't have a center tag, so Sym went and got one for her.  When she did, she saw that Heidi was crying in there and asked, "Why are you crying?" To which Heidi responded, "Because I miss my mommy."  My sweet Sym reassured her little friend, "Don't worry.  You're mommy will be here later." And Heidi said, "Ok." Just like that, she helped her friend to feel better.  Even though, in that moment, I know she was thinking about how much she missed me and how she wanted to crawl into a little space and cry, she chose to help reassure her friend that everything would be ok.

I was so proud at that moment.  I told her how happy that made my heart and Jesus's heart that she chose to be a loving friend and help Heidi.  I know that it's tough for them to be away from their mamas for such a long time, but I can only reassure her that I'm there to pick her up at the same time every single day, and that I will ALWAYS be there for her.  It takes so much strength to allow them and teach them to spread their little wings and fly.  I am praying for patience, love, strength, and wisdom.