A Little Perspective...

I was watching t.v. last night (surprise, surprise) and there was a little girl with blond pigtails that crawled into her mother's lap and cried. Then it hit me, "What am I going to do when Lyla is upset?" I'm not referring to a tantrum--I'm talking about dealing with emotions.

As a parent, what will that feel like to see your little girl legitimately upset about something that you didn't cause?

Of course I turned to ask Shawn what he's planning to do and I got a couple of answers like, "Beat up whoever hurt her feelings" and "give her ice cream." Note to self: we're definitely going to have to discuss these parenting choices before we're faced with the situation. I can't have Lyla investing in Blue Bell every time she's unhappy and I'm not exactly cut out to be a single-mother and therefore, having my husband attack everyone she has a conflict with isn't a viable option either.

I suppose it will come naturally, but I hate seeing anyone hurt and I don't look forward to the day I have to scoop her up, wipe her eyes, and listen to her pain while encouraging her to look at things differently. I know life isn't all peaches and cream, and it's these moments that build character and yadda yadda yadda. It just sucks to see someone you love so deeply endure the hard times.

Then I think about the victims and sufferers of the earthquake in Haiti and a few tears seem meaningless. The devastation seems endless. I keep praying for these people and our reinforcements being sent in an effort to provide aid. We live our daily lives worried about traffic, bills, vacations, deadlines, and dinner plans. It never ceases to amaze me how internally-focused we are until mass tragedy strikes. I'm certainly guilty of this.

So in between news updates and horrifying pictures, I still find myself wondering how I plan to make my own daughter's life a little brighter when she's feeling down. I guess it's various levels of focus that keep me sane.