bailey: peacemaker and nurturer by divine nature

Devon was at it again. Another fit. After a long day of running errands and Dillon not home to help put the kids to bed, my patience was running thin. Devon had fallen asleep on the way home from Salt Lake, in the middle of eating his lunchable–which was dinner. I had told them that when we got home it was time to go straight to bed. He had 2 oreos left to eat when he fell asleep. When we pulled up, Devon woke up and started to cry. I unloaded the kids and bags, and put his oreos on the table and told him he could eat them tomorrow. That wasn’t what he wanted to hear, and so the whole time I fed Bailey, he screamed downstairs on the floor.

I was getting angry. I tried reasoning with him, tried to be kind and loving, knowing it would be over soon. He wasn’t having it. I needed to put Bailey to bed before I dealt with him. I had no energy left, and no patience left whatsoever!

In fact, I was getting so angry I was ready to run downstairs and take a bite of his cookie, threatening him to stop crying or the cookies were mine. I know, I know, how mean am I? I wasn’t really going to eat the whole thing, I just wanted to do something, ANYTHING, to feel in control of the situation. But that was just it. I had been slowly ignoring my children more and more to the point that I really didn’t know how to handle them lately. They were begging for attention, and getting negative attention was better than nothing for them. And I didn’t even realize all of that was happening until something incredible happened.

Bailey could hear Devon crying. And Bailey was sad for Devon. Not just a little. She stopped moving even, to hear his cries from below. She turned to me, and her bottom lip quivered, and she started crying the saddest cry, and it was for Devon. But she didn’t cry for long, because she could still hear him. So she’d stop all sound and movement again, look at me, and that bottom lip would start shaking again with the biggest pout I’ve ever seen her do then, and since.

And I knew then. I knew that I had been a little neglectful towards my kids. I knew then that Bailey was reacting the way I probably should have been, by being genuinely concerned for my kids’ feelings; more in tune with them. Even if I think they are overreacting. I was overreacting as well. I knew at that beautiful moment of seeing pure love through Bailey’s eyes, that I needed to start listening more to my kids and even if they are mad or sad and I don’t get it, they need me to try to get it.

Thank you, Bailey. I’m so thankful I have you and that Heavenly Father taught me a valuable lesson through you!