Yesterday I met our friend Amy and her daughter Abbey at a park near our home. We went pretty early because it is unseasonably warm for May and because Abbey had her first dentist appointment later that morning.
Dylan had been up three times the night before so I was pretty exhausted. The girls behaved pretty well and Amy helped me out knowing I was tired.
Ashlyn was having a snack and found her snuggle bunny in the diaper bag. Snuggle bunny is ashlyn's comfort toy and has her pacifier attached. I really should learn to just leave him in her crib so she doesn't want him in inappropriate settings like the sandbox at the playground.
I took snuggle bunny and put him somewhere Ashlyn couldn't see him in hopes of distracting her and encouraging her to play for another 30 minutes. This caused a complete meltdown. Dylan had not had a good nights sleep or a good nap so he was unhappy too so I decided it was time to go home. I spent ten minutes trying to get Ashlyn in the car. Once she was finally buckled in I gave snuggle bunny back to her.
As we were driving home I had a chance to reflect a little. I realized that when I hid snuggle bunny from Ashlyn she believed he was gone. And when I left the park without giving him to her, she believed we had left him. Of course she was upset! I had just left behind her most valued possession.
Sometimes we forget what the world looks like to a small child and if we would take the time to adjust our perspective we might be able to see a happier solution.
