Children and Emotions

"Both a little scared,
     Neither one prepared,
       Beauty and the Beast."
  - Beauty and the Beast

     So the other night, The Wife comes downstairs and gets a smile on her face. She tells me that she's putting our 'Lil Miss to bed, who is finishing a Disney Beauty and the Beast book. She's on one page in particular and The Wife goes over to sit on the bed. 

'Lil Miss says, "This is my favorite part." (pictured above). 

The Wife asked, "Why is it your favorite?"

'Lil Miss goes red, pauses with an embarrassed grin, and quietly says, "Because it's,.........romantic."

   The Wife doesn't want her to be embarrassed, so she simply agrees that "yeah, it IS romantic." In that time, we see the beginnings of those emotions. We've noticed the slight change over the past year or two, and keep an eye out. It's mostly so we can be there for her as she navigates life. We want to be there if she has questions or is confused. We understand she'll be exposed to different things, and it's our job to help steer her. Given the television content we've seen aimed at tweens, I'm terrified that she'll believe our current media's notion that all teenage girls sleep around. 

   So it continues to be our diligent job to teach, encourage, and be there for our children. Enjoy their innocence while it lasts. For the time will come when life isn't just a fairytale, and everything problem isn't solved with true loves kiss. If only. 

J.