Stepping back and watching my little girl grow up.

As much as I have intended to be more consistent in taking the kids out on one on one dates...I have failed. This is an area I want to work harder at. Since I have a hard time doing things half-hearted, I tend to just not do something if I can't make it fantastic. So in the spirit of resisting the urge to have planned out a fantastic evening with clues to a special location...I just asked Tally as we were cleaning up the dinner dishes if she wanted to go out with me.

We headed over to a local book store and got a special hot cocoa and settled down to just talk. About all kinds of girly things and about nothing in particular. I just wanted to keep the doors of communication open. As our little ones grow up, I think we need to be even MORE intentional in our time with them.

We read a book together and used it as a tool to pave the way for more detailed talks to come. I just loved Tally's response to the whole thing. She is so mature and wise. At one point we were talking about finding appropriate people to go to if you need help or have questions. And it was her idea to talk to a grown up, she thought it would be better than seeking out a peer, since someone older might have already gone through the same circumstance and have better advice.
In the end I bought her a nice journal and gave it to her to use as a prayer journal. I shared that there will be times that others won't be there for her. Or worse yet, I will respond to her emotional needs the wrong way. But I reminded her that God is always there. Always listening. Always caring. She can use this journal to write down her thoughts and share them with God when she is struggling with something.