14 October, 2015

After a recent event, I was thinking over an exchange between my little and an adult. This event was a small gathering that we were a part of that included a couple of people my mini wanted to see specifically. We arrived after everyone else and my munchkin stated "I only wanted to see [person] and [person], I didn't want to see you." to one person.

Now, I will admit that this blunt statement was a bit rude by some standards, and inappropriate, and that is something I may need to work on. The comment was not received well, to say the least. This was said to a full-grown adult, mind you, and someone that should be somewhat understanding of the ways of preschoolers. 

At the time, I didn't think too much about the exchange or the way the adult chose to be a bit vengeful about it, saying that sharing snacks wasn't going to happen since my kiddo wasn't there to see them. 

After thinking back on this, I saw it from a different perspective and am thinking more about the kind of "damage" this may have done. With my new thoughts, I saw this exchange more as my child TELLING THE TRUTH and this other adult trying to punish and scold for doing so. What kind of message does that send, really? My young, impressionable, growing munchkin making an honest, but uncalled for, expression and being made to feel bad for it. 

No matter what level of guilt I feel in retrospection of how a moment may have been mishandled, I am always grateful for the new understanding of the situation. Going forward, I hope that I can maintain this level of awareness when my mini speaks the truth, no matter whether it is needed to be said or not. I pray, that going forward, I can be fully receptive to what my kiddo says and means, and that I can create a feeling of safety and trust between us, one that is always welcoming, no matter the subject.