He'll be there

I usually wait to go grocery shopping until David is home. The kids take turns coming with me. We chat and bond and they get some one on one time. Shopping with 1 is a luxury that I love. Last week as I was heading out the door with just Mallie I heard Hannah run up the stairs and beg to come. It wasn't her turn but I felt sorry for her because I usually sneak out so know one knows they're being left behind. She put on her cute sad face so I told her to grab some shoes. It was at that moment that David said, "Don't do it. It's not her turn."

As soon as we walked into the commissary the last car cart was taken. Which wouldn't have been a big deal if we didn't have to see the family stroll away right in front of us with the little girl giggling and having the best time of her life steering. Then the whining began. Hannah got herself under control just long enough to put apples in a bag and then the two girls proceeded to annoy and yell at each other the rest of the short 15 minute trip. They were bad and I was impatient. By the time we got to the car Hannah was in full on melt down mode over her mermaid that she and Mallie had pulled right in half in a tug of war at the check out. When she sobbed asking me when I was going to fix it I replied, "never if you keep on crying." Am I glutton for punishment or what? Did I really hope that answer would stop the crying?

We got home and I asked David to handle her because I didn't want to yell at her. He fixed her mermaid but she wouldn't stop crying. I told her to go to her room until she was done crying. This is a common occurrence for little emotional Hannah. She'll go to her room cry for 15 minutes read a book and then come out mostly under control. I unloaded the groceries, told David about the frustrating trip and went upstairs to try and do some scripture reading. I could hear Hannah still going strong crying in her room on the other side of the house.  I was having an internal battle about whether or not to go to her room. I didn't want to spoil her and let her think every time she has an emotional melt down I would come to the rescue telling her it will all be okay. If I do that wont I be encouraging these melt downs and crying fests that seem to occur just when I'm at the end of my mothering rope? And then the thought came so clearly to my mind that the Lord will comfort us every time we need Him. Every single time. He wont tell us we're getting spoiled or ignore us. He'll be there.

So I went right to Hannah's room, knelt down and opened my arms to my little crying girl. She didn't say a word  and just curled right in my lap where I rocked her. In a matter or seconds she had gone from crying to just a few sniffles. I said, "Are you okay?" and she responded with, "Thanks for helping me calm down Mom." And then she proceeded to apologize for everything she had done. What a powerful lesson the Lord taught me.