Her Rigidity Is My Opportunity 

In a crowded bus, I was busy tucking Nathan’s seatbelt until I heard a commotion at the back. Amor was making a scene. Folks wanted to sit next to her but she insisted that the empty seat was for her doll 😅. Yes that’s the attention-grabbing Daughter, whom I love 😂.
I used to dread such moments, in fact for many years, I preferred no family outings because it felt like a source of stress rather an avenue to release stress. If it did happened, I would have rolled my eyes and passed the dice, A.K.A stress to Papa to handle…if he would accept it and not pass it back to me 😅

But I’m a different person today. When I see irritable Amor, I think “Opportunity!” This is a chance for me to move and speak calmly so that when I explain reasons why things are not going her way, she will be more open to it. This is an opportunity for me to explain social situations to help her understand that in public places we want to be pleasant to everyone…just as everyone is pleasant to us.

Sure enough, Amor listened to my reasoning and allowed me to sit next to her while her doll sat on her lap. This could-have-been-stressful situation was soon turned into a bonding moment and opportunity for me to celebrate how fantastic and flexible she was and allowing things to go my way instead of hers.

Photo: me and my princess in the crowded bus.