“Bella, what are you thinking?” I asked my 5-year-old as she stared across the dinner table in deep thought. She looked at me in awe as she responded, “Mom, how did you know I was thinking?” It’s interesting how we moms are designed to read our kids even better than they’re able to read themselves. As I began serving everyone their tea, Bella suddenly blurted out to my husband who was sitting in the chair next to her, ” Daddy! Joshua kissed me, but I didn’t let him!” You can only imagine a daddy’s reaction listening to his 5-year-old make such confession. “Whaaaat?!” he proclaimed. “I didn’t let him, Daddy! I didn’t! I moved! I don’t know why he did that!” She yelled defensively. “Honey, listen, she came to you. Don’t frighten her or she’ll never come to you again.” I whispered firmly to him. I watched as my husband regained his composure and hugged her, “Good job, mija, don’t be letting no boys kiss you and thank you for telling me.” They continued on in their conversation as I thought about what had just happened.
I sat there, proudly, watching my husband share an unforgettable moment with his little girl. She had come to him. She had confided in him and trusted that he would respond accordingly. I reflected on how much thought Bella had clearly put into what she was about to confess to her Daddy. I had seen a glimpse of her deep thought minutes before. I could now understand that she had been contemplating on whether or not to tell him. I know there’s no way on Earth I’d have made such confession to my Dad! Haha! This moment was much more than just a 5 year-olds playground confession. This was a moment brought on by a relationship they had built together. This was a moment created by all those times when he took the time to ask her about her day. All those moments when he warned her about “naughty boys” (lol). All those moments when they giggled and shared laughs on the living room floor.
Catherine M. Wallace once said, “Listen earnestly to anything your children want to tell you, no matter what. If you don’t listen eagerly to the little stuff when they are little, they won’t tell you the big stuff when they are big, because to them all of it has always been big stuff.” This is only the beginning of a lifetime of confessions. My prayer is that Bella, and all my children, will always be able to come to us. That we may continue to build a foundation of trust and of love. That night my husband went into Bella’s room with a beautiful, white, fluffy, plush unicorn that he had bought for her months before and had been holding onto until the perfect moment. She was ecstatic! She believes her daddy gave her the most precious gift ever, but in reality we both know, it was she who gave him something much greater, her confidence.
Rosalinda Serna
I believe that we as parents owe it to our children to listen to them earnestly and not get caught up in our day to day tasks. In this technology-filled world, it is so easy to just brush them off with a single “not now” or “maybe later”. I love how both you and your hubby have taken the time to built a relationship and trust with your children. Keep up the good work, momma!
It’s so true! God knows how many times we dismiss our children with a mere, “not now”. May our children always be able to come to us and may we always make time for them.