Last night on our way to my mom's house for dinner, the girls and I had a very telling conversation. Lucy was discussing a new stuffed dolphin her Nana had gotten her - which she was calling "lady marshmallow head" (I have no idea). She said "what if I didn't have this dolphin, what if our neighbors came and took all our toys and we didn't get to play with stuffed animals anymore?". Now although Lucy is a paranoid child in general, she wasn't worried about this just talking out loud (I think). Cate's perfect big sister response was "Lucy, don't worry our neighborhood is safe". I decided to take the opportunity to discuss how fortunate they are, so I told them Cate was right and our neighborhood was safe but that in other parts of the country there were children who didn't have a lot of toys or food. Cate's immediate response was "Mommy, I can share my toys with them". Awwwww - gotta love that girl. To which Lucy got very upset saying that she didn't want to share their toys. After I calmed her down by saying she didn't have too share them but that Cate was being very sweet, she said "Mommy can we buy some different toys for those kids". I told both girls for Christmas maybe we could buy some toys for kids who didn't have any. Cate's response was "Mommy, I have a real plan. I will share my toys, Lucy can buy some toys, and you can buy some food for them." I know that part of it is an age thing - Lucy is only 3 and its a hard concept to grasp but I think it is also very telling that Cate immediately is ready to help and developing a plan. I can see that in her all the time, she is always concerned about the child crying on the playground or the baby wailing in the store. She is going to help people in some fashion in her life - how exactly I don't know but I have no doubt it is going to be a life mission for her.
Sorry no pictures this week, its been a busy one since we were out of town for a baby shower last weekend, my house is a wreck and I'm getting ready for a girls trip this weekend! Hard to keep my mind on blogging while I"m packing in my head for a trip to NYC to see some Broadway shows and eat some good food in Little Italy with my mom, sister-in-law & my best friend!
A Brighter Sunshine
I could have never imagined how much brighter the sun would shine because you are in my life.
A journal of my experiences with Cate and her pure brillance.
Oh, wow, what a beautiful and telling conversation!! She's so insightful and caring. I see that in Samantha, as well. Love this!
ReplyDeleteHave a fantastic time in NYC!!
Hi! I'm visiting from The Bates Motel and the title here caught my eye.
ReplyDeleteI notice some of the same things with my own daughter - she always notices the hurting person wherever we are and seems to show a great deal of empathy. Depending on the situation she will want to try and help and soothe the person but the situation doesn't always allow for that.
I'm the step-parent of an 11-year old with down syndrome and am always looking to connect with other parents as well! Right now things are pretty hard so sometimes my posts are a little, um, dreary one might say. But I'm TRYING to be real about my emotions about it all and still end up with some sort of a positive note. I'm not to sure if it's working or not. Haha
I'd love it if you would come check it out! Have a great weekend!