Today there was a crisis. Gabriel had me open his Thomas the Tank Engine coloring book to his current favorite page which he had painstakingly made beautiful as he tends to favor the female engines. I think he sometimes just likes to have pretty things available to look at, because this isn't the first time he asked me to open to a certain page and then left it somewhere nearby as he played.
Well, he was a little too distracted to notice when Lily came and colored this very important page with the wrong color in the wrong place, right on Belle's face no less!
Well, he was a little too distracted to notice when Lily came and colored this very important page with the wrong color in the wrong place, right on Belle's face no less!
When he realized what had been done, Gabriel was VERY upset. He repeatedly asked me to fix it, and I genuinely felt awful that I couldn't. Even though it was just a silly page in a coloring book, I know how it feels to have something important to you get ruined. He often uses the word "how" when he means "why" and all throughout the day he would ask, "How did Lily color brown on Belle's face?"
Finally, just a couple of hours before bedtime, Gabriel held the coloring book up to Lily and addressed her. "How did you color brown on Belle's face?"
I was worried that he was going to get worked up and yell at her, so I quickly tried to explain that she didn't mean to upset him and she couldn't talk well enough to answer his question. That wasn't acceptable to him, but he took control of the situation. He said, "Lily, say, 'Because I wanted to.'" With a little help, she managed to say it in a reasonably understandable way, while laughing pretty hard as she clearly didn't understand why everyone was being so serious.
And with that, the issue was resolved. Gabriel looked at some other pages in the coloring book, went on to do other things, and didn't bring it up again. Once he had an explanation, even if it was a kind of lame one that he had given the offender himself, he let go of his anger. It was amazing.
Finally, just a couple of hours before bedtime, Gabriel held the coloring book up to Lily and addressed her. "How did you color brown on Belle's face?"
I was worried that he was going to get worked up and yell at her, so I quickly tried to explain that she didn't mean to upset him and she couldn't talk well enough to answer his question. That wasn't acceptable to him, but he took control of the situation. He said, "Lily, say, 'Because I wanted to.'" With a little help, she managed to say it in a reasonably understandable way, while laughing pretty hard as she clearly didn't understand why everyone was being so serious.
And with that, the issue was resolved. Gabriel looked at some other pages in the coloring book, went on to do other things, and didn't bring it up again. Once he had an explanation, even if it was a kind of lame one that he had given the offender himself, he let go of his anger. It was amazing.
Lily didn't upset everyone today though. Even when Figaro took her seat, she made sure he had plenty of toys.
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