Break My Heart Tears

My reaction to my kids crying is completely opposite for either child. My daughter will cry over anything. The wrong tone of voice or being told no will set her off. I have gotten to the point that my reaction to her crying is to cringe. If she hurts herself, than I feel bad. Otherwise, I just send her to her room to get over it.

Now, my son is a different story. I can count on one hand the number of times he cries within a year's time. It has to be really bad for him to cry. My reaction to his tears is to hold him and do whatever I can to make him happy. This is not always the best reaction, though. Especially when the tears are because he is not getting his way.

Take our last episode. It was Sunday night. I tend to forget how sensitive his hearing is. He can hear any conversation going on in any room in the house. I told my husband that we needed to go to the store to get school snacks. We also agreed that we would do it the next day, because it was late. I also made the mistake of stating what we would buy, because I had a coupon for it.

It was to be my son's favorite snack, Rice Krispy Treats. Well, he heard us talking. Keep in mind, it was late, the kids had already had their baths and were in their pj's. My son came out, with his shoes on and carrying our keys and phones. He wanted to go. We told him several times that we would go the next day. He wouldn't give up.

Finally, hubby had to discipline him. It was only a light spanking. Just enough to let him know we were serious, and that we would not change our minds. Well, my boy got the message. He realized we were not going to take him to the store that night. The tears started to flow. He started crying the big crocodile tears. My heart broke. I held him and told him it would be ok. I told him we would go tomorrow.

Finally, he settled down and went to bed. The next morning, when hubby got up to get ready for work, so did our little boy. I guess I should have told him exactly when the next day we would go to the store. Needless to say, when I got the kids on their buses Monday morning, I got my things together and went to the store. I had a very happy boy after school. When he got home, he went straight for the pantry and saw his snacks.