Last night, we had a tired and emotional tween on our hands. All the long days, extra homework and increased academic demands had caught up with her. She was exhausted and feeling overwhelmed. Thankfully Rich was home from London well before bedtime for both kiddos so after Austin was tucked in, we were about to have a heart-to-heart with our eldest, snuggled up together on the sofa.
It certainly has reminded me that she is still very much my little girl. She might be growing up and changing but she still needs tender loving care. She might be independent and self-motivated but she still needs support and guidance. She might be doing well in school but she still has other challenges that she is very good at hiding. Sometimes I see so much of myself in her that I have to be careful not to make assumptions about how she is feeling. We asked her to start tracking her moods and the easiest way to do this was to send me the most appropriate emoji as a text. Then we have the time and day so we can look at it later if needed.
This morning, she sent me these pictures of the sky as she walked to the bus stop. When she arrived at school, she went me this:
I know it won’t always be this way. I actually think it is impossible (and probably boring) for humans to only ever be this emotion. But it was a relief to me this morning to know that she is starting the day feeling good. The pink sky did its job this morning, that’s for sure.
Notes From My Day 