scaredy kate

oh sweet katers,

you have inherited my sensitive soul.
you have a tender heart and are easily scared.

today you were scrolling through my instagram feed
[you like to see all the pics of your cousins and friends]
and you happened upon a zombie pic.
you froze up and started shaking.
it made me so sad to see you truly frightened.
you had big tears in your eyes and looked at me with an expression that seemed to beg-
'fix it mommy. please take it away'

i did the only thing i could think of,
something my parents taught me long ago-
sing a church song.

i chose 'i am a child of god' and sang it at least 4-5 times while i snuggled you like never before.
amazing how quickly singing a peaceful song can usher in the Spirit and push out the bad.

you calmed down with my [awful] singing and we returned to our puzzles.
and i had a moment to reflect on how very little control i will have over your life in the coming years.
soon you'll be in school full time and i won't be able to shelter you from everything.

i'd keep you this age forever if i could.
but i can't.
so the best i can do is teach you how to cope with the things that frighten you.
i'll do my best.
it's a heavy task, this parenting gig.
but you make it so ridiculously worth it.

i love you.

ps. please forgive my atrocious singing