blue skies mend a broken heart

five year old girls. drama. hurt feelings. I knew Berkley would soon be a part of all of this, and yesterday she was. The past month Berkley and her friends at school have gotten very busy loading up their social calendars. It seems that during their day at school all of the girls will make a plan as to where they will be playing and who they will be playing with after school. Then at the end of the day when all of the mommies come to pick them up, we are swarmed with pleas begging to go play here or have this friend come play at our house. It has actually gotten really exhausting. I have been working on explaining to Berkley that she cannot have a playdate EVERY day. Although she has still not completely grasped that concept, simply not understanding why I wouldn't want her to be able to play with her friends ALL the time; she has gotten better at trying to discuss her desired social calendar with me ahead of time. We have decided that it is much better to plan playdates and discuss them with the mommies, before anything is decided for sure. Yesterday, however, Berkley did not make it into her friend's "plans."


I arrived at school just a minute or two late. Berkley was waiting by the flagpole with her teacher and a few other classmates, but all of her girlfriends were already gone. As soon as she saw me, she ran towards me and flew her arms around me. I didn't think anything of it, because most days she runs up to me and gives me a big hug to greet me. (Which I absolutely LOVE. I have heard she might not do this when I pick her up from middle school!!!) The big hug, however, grew tighter and tighter. When I looked down to ask her how her day was... I didn't have to ask. I realized she was sobbing. I scooped her up and carried her to the car as her cry grew louder and louder. I noticed two of her friends loading up in a car together and I immediately knew what had happened. Today Berkley was the friend that was left out.


I had seen this scenario play out just a week ago. Berkley was invited to play with her friend, Kaitlyn. I helped her load up into Kaitlyn's car to send her on her way. As I walked back to my car I noticed another one of their friends still waiting by the flagpole for her mommy. She had been left out of the plans that day, and she was crying with all of her might. I quickly realized what had happened and knew that I needed to talk to Berkley about this. Unfortunately, by the time I saw Berkley again I had completely forgotten about the sad scenario I had witnessed.


Now it was Berkley's turn to be the friend that wasn't invited. She was the one who had an empty social calendar for the day. She was now on the yucky side of all of this girl drama and her feelings were hurt. Her little heart was broken.


As I loaded her into the car, I began trying to explain what had happened. I assured her that her friends were not leaving her out on purpose. I took this opportunity to tell her the story of what happened to her sweet friend last week who was the one left out. I told her that this was something that was going to happen sometimes. I broke the news to her that it would happen again and that her feelings would be hurt many times. That was part of having so many great friends. Everyone wants to play together and fill their little social calendars, but sometimes friends get left out. I reminded her again why it was so much better to make plans ahead of time. This way she and her friends could look forward to their upcoming playdates. Although I thought this "pep talk" sounded good, nothing changed the fact that in this moment my little girl's heart was still broken and it needed mending.


As I drove home looking at her sad face in the rear view mirror, my heart broke as well. I know as a parent you cannot always protect your children, but it is so hard to see them upset. I began to feel the warmth of the sun shining upon me in the car. I realized what a beautiful day it was outside, and I quickly decided that we needed to enjoy it. After all, blue skies and bright sunshine can brighten any one's day... right?!? So, we went home to change our clothes and headed off to the playground to enjoy the beautiful day.

In no time at all the kids found the swings. Soon Berkley was swinging through the air, her hair blowing in the breeze. She was laughing as she swung higher and higher. It was nice to see her beautiful, big smile once again.

Beckham had a great time on the swings as well. He loves to swing high. In fact, when I wasn't pushing him fast enough he would tell me, "Mommy, I'm losing my air!"Brenner enjoyed swinging the most. As soon as you sit him in a swing he starts smiling.Berkley took a break from swinging and pushed Brenner for a while. He absolutely loved it!In fact, he laughed the whole time Berkley was pushing him!Once we finished swinging, we headed to the slide. Brenner had so much fun sliding down with his big sister and big brother. He was feeling really big! (And so was Berkley, since she was such a helper!)We did a little exploring on the playground. Berkley stopped for a photo opportunity.Beckham had to have a turn as well.Brenner seemed to really enjoy his freedom to explore too. He is getting so big, and he knows it!After almost an hour at the playground, I decided it was probably time to go. It was such a beautiful day though, I hated for our fun to end. I quickly remembered how Matt and I have always agreed since the time we got married that "ice cream makes everything better!" So, I suggested we head to Coldstone for a yummy treat. The blue skies had already seemed to mend Berkley's little broken heart, but having a little ice cream could only make things even better! We all picked mint ice cream with oreos. That will bring a smile to any one's face! Berkley took this picture of Brenner and I sharing our ice cream. Brenner was too busy devouring our bowl to stop and smile for the camera!! (Berkley took a picture of Beckham too, but it didn't turn out. Trust me... he was all smiles!)

When we got home Berkley said, "That was SO much funner than going to a friend's house!" My heart melted, because I agreed with her. It was so much "funner" than anything else I could have been doing either. My little Bs and I had a fabulous afternoon just hanging out with each other. I think there are way too many days where the busyness of life gets in the way and we miss the opportunity to enjoy the blue skies and bright days that the Lord blesses us with. And even though I realize I won't always be able to "mend" my children's hearts when they break with a simple trip to the playground or a yummy bowl of ice cream, I do realize how special this time is that I have with my kids and I want to cherish every second!