"Why are you crying?!" I asked a particularly distraught child one day, as she was finishing a Popsicle I had given her. "(Cousin's name) is playing with my [insert favorite-toy-of-the-day here]!" Okaaaay. Let's leave aside the fact that its' a beautiful day at the playground, all of us are healthy, we're snacking on yummy sugary treats, and we get to be with our cousins. God's in His Heaven, kiddo, and all is right with the world. But, for this little girl, all was not right with the world. She doesn't have a particular THING and it was making her miserable.
"Wait. You're bringing ALL of your kids?" Well, it was tempting to find a sitter and attend the upcoming Christ Our Life conference (September 24th-25th at Wells Fargo Arena!) like a "date" with my husband, but we decided to splurge and bring all of the kiddos for a couple of reasons...
"What did you say?" I made a rule many years ago that if my children mumbled something inaudible, especially if it seemed as though it was unkind, they would have to repeat it again until I could hear it properly. "Nothing," is sometimes the reply I get. But it's never nothing.