Standing the kitchen, after coming home late from Choir rehearsal, Joy is eating a little cereal and I'm getting the dogs their pills. She all of a sudden has a serious face and says, "I'm really sorry mama." I say, about what? "No, Mama," very emphatically, "I'm REALLY sorry and I won't do it again!!"
I can't imagine what's she's done since getting out of the car to warrant such a serious, heartfelt apology, so I ask again, what are you sorry about?
"I gave Katrina a popsicle." You did? When was that?
"I'm really sorry! I was only 5 then, and I was outside sneaking away from you" (I think she means, hiding) "and I was playing with Katrina, and and and.....I was afraid of timeout.....and and and....I'm really sorry!"
The words are just pouring out of her, faster than she can really control, so some of this story is a mystery, but the gist was that she was outside with Katrina and either she gave it to the dog or Katrina took it, but the popsicle ended up in Katrina's stomach, not Joy's. And because she didn't want to get in trouble, she didn't tell me.
So, after stifling a laugh, I told her how proud I was of her for telling me and she wouldn't get in trouble for that. She didn't believe me at first and told me again it was when she was "really little, you know, 5 years old". Uh-huh. It's because you told me that you won't get in trouble. It's okay. Katrina is okay too.
We talked about feeding Katrina people food, with a reminder about grapes (which are very poisonous to dogs), and everything was fine.
In fact, things were so fine that she told me how much she loved me, over and over again! "100 times I love you, Mama! Do you love me that much?" Yes, sweetheart, a hundred, a million, a billion, a trillion times. I hundred billion trillion times! More than you can count! "Why, Mama? Why do you love me so much!?"
Because you're you, my sweetheart!
Makes it all worthwhile, doesn't it?
=)
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