Family Life Series Week 4

Today's post in the Family Life Series comes to you from Jackie at Our Moments Our Memories. I've been reading Jackie's blog for quite some time now. I absolutely love Jackie's blog and I think pretty highly of Jackie herself too. Jackie is mom to one adorable little girl, she is the giver of cute flip flops, and she is a blog designer too.



Here is today's Family Life post:

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Every night after dinner, my 3 year old daughter Savannah puts her hand in her daddy's and they walk across the street to the park. She is a social butterfly if I've ever seen one, and the highlight for her is not playing on the swings or slide or monkey bars. No...instead, she cannot wait to go and find her friend, Ash-u-lee. Ashley is 5, but somehow the age difference doesn't seem to bother either of them. Savannah is the little follower, running around after her, and she thinks that Ashley walks on water. Every night she comes home with stories..."Ash-u-lee said I could come to her house....or, Ash-u-lee is going to have a Dora birthday party, Mama!....or, Ash-u-lee gave me a piece of gum tonight! Which, by the way, she promptly swallowed, since she has no clue what to do with gum. So all was well, and they got along famously. Until a few weeks ago. On this night, Savannah traipsed to the park like usual and found Ashley. They gave each other their standard little hug in greeting. And then Ashley turned and ran off with a new friend, a little girl who had come to the park with her and who was her exact same age. It never occurred to Savannah to do anything but run after them, and that's exactly what she did. They screamed and ran away from her, and she chased after them for awhile, trying to figure out why her friend was suddenly not her friend anymore.

Then Ashley looked at my husband and said, "Tell her to stop following me, she's bothering us!"

And Savannah stopped and just stared at her, nonplussed. Oh. my. When my husband came home and told me the story, my mommy heart broke in a thousand pieces. I felt silly, but I was fighting back tears the whole time he was talking. Such a little thing, isn't it? And yet it's so very hard to see your child come face to face with something that hurts their little heart. When they first start to realize that things happen that aren't fair, and they have no clue why.


How I wish this growing up process didn't have to start so soon. But as much as I wanted to scoop her up and protect her from this ever happening again, I know this is the only way she will learn.


She will need to know that life isn't fair, and that everyone isn't always kind, but that her worth is not determined by those around her.


That no matter what she has a mommy and daddy that she can run to, and a Heavenly Father who will love on her when she's feeling sad.


And it's my job teach her that. Oh, what a responsibility!


My husband said that as she watched Ashley run away, she looked up and said quietly, "Daddy, will you go for a walk with me?"


And so they did. They didn't talk much; she was quiet, and he asked her if she was sad. No, she said.


I love that. I love that she knows she can just be with him, without the need to talk, just taking comfort in the fact that they are together. That he lets her know he loves her just by spending time with her.


Sometimes a walk with our Father is really all we need.

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Thanks, Jackie, for being my guest poster today. Your post touched this mom's heart. As a mom, it is so hard to see your kids face disappointment. It is my desire that my kids would know that they do have a Heavenly Father that loves them no matter what!