Sweet Girl

Today, BW got home early enough to go over to the school and pick up Chicken Nugget (the little ones and I usually walk over). I heard CN crying even before she and her dad walked in the door.

"What's wrong?" I said.

"CN got two marks today," said BW.

Marks are the disciplinary system used at CN's school, and each mark has a letter that indicates what rule was broken.

I asked BW what he had said to CN about the situation, thinking she might be upset by something he said (CN cries if you look at her cross-eyed).

BW said, "I didn't say anything to her. All I said was, 'how was your day, CN?' and she immediately started crying and told me about her marks."

CN was sobbing as she put away her bag and jacket, and I called her over to me. Without a word, she dissolved into my arms. She told me about her marks.

"It's OK, you had a bad day, but you're home now," I said, "it's over now."

"OK," CN said, "I prayed to God to give me a good day and I tried to make it happen but it just didn't happen."

I felt so bad for her!

I said, "Well, sometimes we just don't follow the rules and make mistakes and have bad days, but it's over now. Tomorrow you can tell your teacher you're sorry you didn't follow the rules, but you're home now and everything's OK. You just need to pray to God that He will comfort you now."

She was still crying, but nodded. A little later, she kept coming down on herself.

BW said, "It's OK, CN. We all have bad days sometimes. But I think what we are going to do with you now is take you down to the barber shop and have your hair cut like that guy on TV."

On TV, there was a guy that had a mohawk. She made a face and giggled a little.

CN is by no means perfect. But it's hard to even punish her when things like this happen. She's so hard on herself, I think that's just about punishment enough. She was really in pain over what she had done. I think that BW and I could never be as hard on her as she is on herself, and I pray that she'll ease up on herself and learn not to take herself so seriously as the years go by. That sweet girl.