6:15 AM or so:
RJC loves to help around the house. This morning she was emptying the dishwasher while I was in the next room. She came to me holding two pieces of a broken glass and said “Oops. Sorry Mommy.”
Luckily it seemed to be a clean break into two large pieces. I gently took it from her and explained that I needed to vacuum the kitchen and that we both needed to put on shoes.
She was not happy. She wanted to finish unloading the dishwasher. She could not grasp the danger of a possible piece of glass on the floor. She had a mission and she was not at all pleased that her mission was now being delayed.
I was patient and continued to gently lead her out of the kitchen, telling her to put on her shoes. At this point, trying to make her understand the danger issue was second to getting her out of a dangerous situation. Yelling all the way, she did as I asked while I took advantage of the time she was out of the kitchen and started to vacuum. Having been distracted by the shoes, she let me finish vacuuming then went back to her task of unloading the dishwasher.
It is sometimes a jarring reality for me to face the reality that at 30 years old she is toddler-like in her lack of abstract concepts (such as danger). Of course this sets me up for a swirl of concerning “what if” thoughts.
“WHAT IF she hadn’t told me she broke a glass.”
“WHAT IF I wasn’t here and she was with somebody else. Would she have shown them the broken glass?”
“What if something else happens today that puts her at risk?”
Etc etc and so forth (as the King of Siam would say).
So yes, my initial reaction was to go consider all the awful possibilities but I had meditated this morning and read a bit of Psalms so instead of going too far down the “What if” rabbit hole I decided to go someplace else:
All is well at this moment.
She did the best she could.
I did the best I could.
And now we can both move on with our day.
May we all be safe and avoid the “What if” rabbit hole.
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