Successful Parenting Moment

I feel like there are PLENTY of times throughout the course of a day...week....month...that I am failing my children as a parent.

I constantly doubt myself.

Chris and I handle everything as a team.  We are constantly "checking in" on how the other one feels about certain situations, behaviors, etc so that we can stand as a united front.

And then this happened...

Sunday morning Quinn called to me from the top of the stairs.  "Mama!  Mama!  Chandler crying!  She crying, Mama!"

And so I went upstairs to investigate.

Chandler was sobbing, hysterically and uncontrollably, on her bed, while Casey sat coloring at their desk.  When I asked her what was wrong, she went into this long drawn out story (while whining and whimpering) (I'll spare you the long drawn out story) about how she and Casey had been dancing ballet together in their room and that Casey kept correcting her and telling her that she was doing everything wrong.

And then she said, "And Casey said that I couldn't do anything right and that I was a bad dancer."

I am quite certain that Casey was correcting her, but doubtful that Casey would flat out say something like that to Chan.  Especially since Casey is so excited that Chan is getting back into dance and she was unbelievably sweet to Chandler at the dance store last week while getting her shoes.

So I poked a little bit and the truth came out, Casey made her feel that way, but hadn't actually said those words.

And she was still hysterical.  Wailing.

So I suggested that she stay home from church with me to collect herself and maybe go back to bed for a little while and wake up in a better mood.  She agreed.

Overall I think they really needed some time apart.  So she stayed home and read in her bed and watched me make jewelry and we ate lunch together and we had a conversation about being overly sensitive and sometimes overreacting to situations.  She knew that she may have taken things a little too far.

When Chris and the kids came home, Chandler threw herself at Casey as soon as she walked in the door.  She wrapped her arms around her and kissed her cheek and they both apologized to each other.  Casey asked if they could go dance some more, Chandler agreed and they held hands while skipping through the foyer.

I kid you not.

And then Chris walked in and we finally had a moment to discuss what went down in our house that morning.

Seems that while I was having my conversation with Chan, Chris was having a conversation with Casey on the way home from church about not criticizing her sister and being encouraging to her because it has been a few years since Chan has danced ballet.

A successful parenting moment.  And then we bumped fists and blew it up.  Go us.