MAR’ 19

15

I woke up this morning and, instead of reading or writing, I decided to do some handwork. I finished felting little acorns to present to Willa in the fall. And, it gave me such a wonderful feeling of accomplishment- what a marvelous way to start the day.

Later that morning, I witnessed something truly incredible. While I was in the shower, Willa had brought into the bathroom a Duplo tower to play with. At some point during her play, it broke apart and she began screaming out of frustration. I don’t always have the patience for this but, today, I asked her if she was feeling frustrated (We have been making an effort to help Willa identify her feelings so that she can understand her needs in times when strong emotions overwhelm her.). She continued to sit, downcast. Then, I tried to prompt her again with another question, “What are some things that we can do when we are feeling frustrated? Do you remember some of the ideas Mommy had?” She looked up at me with surprising intensity. Just before I was about to suggest that she take a big, deep breath, she started to take long, slow breaths; breathing in and blowing out- something we have tried to coach her in before. I was stunned (I mean, she had, by this age, already perfected the art of ignoring-your-parents-when-they-are-saying-something-you-don’t-like.). I felt that I should press my advantage so I suggested that she close her eyes. Her little hands went up to her face to cover her eyes. After a moment or two of calm, the hands fell away and she resumed playing with her Duplos.