Sad Girl

Anna got in trouble today. Had to move her clip because she was talking in class. This has happened more than once this year and her reaction toward the importance of this event has often been less than what we desire as parents. Shar and I agree that comparing Anna to Blake is not wise, but the one time Blake had to move his clip as a kindergartner be was heart broken.

Anna has often "forgotten" that she moved her clip or considered it a minor offense but we have stressed that the actions in class are very important. Today she told her brother that she was going to be brave and just tell dad that she had to move her clip. She remembered that when Blake told dad that he had to move his clip, he got a hug and did not get in trouble. Sharla corrected Anna by reminding her that it had happened to Blake one time and that this was a ongoing problem for Anna. She did not like that answer.

When I got home from spring ball tonight Anna met me at the door and quickly confessed her sins and shed a single tear. I gave her my stern look and as I noticed her reaction turning toward sadness and a slight fear of my reaction, I gently told her that I was disappointed and sent her to her room.

I entered her room as she sat on her bed crying and gave her the abrupt direction to go shower. Following her into the bathroom I again told her that I was disappointed with what happened today and informed her that she would be in trouble. This was not what she wanted to hear and her tears began to run once again.

When I came into Anna's room she was sitting on her bed crying holding something in her hands. I sat on the floor across from her bed and asked her what she thought about her actions at school. Between the tears she expressed her sorrow and looked down at the object in her hands. I then asked what we should do about her behavior in class and all she did was cry and look down again at her hands. I noticed the significance that Anna was placing on the item in her hands and asked her what she was looking at. She then showed me a small framed picture of me holding and kissing Anna Jo when she was just a baby. She looked at the picture, looked at me and began to cry even more.

The rest of the story tomorrow. Goodbye for now.