Robby

*Thank you for being the "big brother" around the house while little Miss is off to school each day.  You take particular pride in being the oldest one at home and can somehow do "more" to help Mommy with your older sister gone.  

*Thank you for your big hugs you give me when I get off work.  I tend to be emotionally drained as I conclude my long work day and all I really want to do is sit on the couch and watch a television show and unwind. These hopes are dashed the moment I walk in the door and am bombarded with messy floors, sticky faces, and a constant string of needs divided between the children.  Your hugs make all of this somehow okay and must contain some of that magic "unwinding" power.  I instantly feel myself take a few deep breaths and visibly relax when you give full arm hugs to me.

Thank you for helping clean up your room.  You were so excited to get out the wooden train set on Saturday that you did so well at cleaning up your room.  There wasn't any whining, or pouting or even begging of help from your mother.  Instead you went straight up the stairs and worked hard at straightening up the room.  The next thing I knew you were back downstairs with a big grin on your face as you announced I needed "to coooooome see nooooow!"  I love how proud you were of yourself.  I love knowing you felt that gratifying feeling of completing a difficult task.  Those are precious lessons learned that I hope you don't ever take for granted.

*Thank you for all the effort you put into controlling your anger.  It makes me so sad sometimes to see how hard this is for you.  Just today it made me cry when you told me "sometimes I get so angry and I don't know why."  We then had a conversation about how emotions are normal and not "bad" or "naughty" things to feel.  Emotions are a part of life and part of who we are as humans.  Our job isn't to make ourselves not feel a certain way, but instead to learn how to control these emotions we feel.  We talked about how we are learning different ways to express our emotions in a non-hurtful way.  I am so proud of everything Robby has learned the last month or so. He has gotten so good at breathing deep and "breathing the anger out", is able to tell me, or other people when he needs to be alone, and we can sometimes even talk our way through these challenging emotions.

A few weeks back, Robby told me that "when I get really angry, I feel like I cannot control my body. I feel all hot in my tummy and it makes me want to hit or kick and then I say not nice things."  We have discussed many a time the purpose of this life.  Heavenly Father has entrusted us with these beautiful, sacred bodies.  Our "job" on earth is to learn how to gain control over our body.  Our conversations together bring me back to a particular scripture in Mosiah 3:19 that says "For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and become a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord...."

Thank you for being YOU my little Rubba Dubba!  I thank God daily that you are mine.  You have helped me more fully realize my potential as a mother.  You have molded me and refined me into a more patient, loving Mother---and you continue to do this.  For that I am eternally grateful.  You have allowed me to learn more about unconditional love and helped me to be more cognicent about showing my love to my children.  You have taught me more about a pure heart and have helped me turn towards my Father in Heaven for assistance.  There have been days that all I can do is cry as I pray to God for help during my weaknesses.  I have seen how God is slowly making "weak things become strong" in my own life.  Thank you for being YOU