Sometimes moms don't have all the answers. . .

Two days ago Brooke and Roger were jumping on the trampoline.  I don't know how it all started, but they began to hit each other.  Roger came storming into the house extremely agitated and upset, saying that Brooke should never be able to jump on the tramp again, and claiming that she hit him.  I must say that once Roger gets upset, it is very tricky to calm him down.  I called Brooke to my room to get her side of the story.  I don't remember the details of what started the hitting, but she sort of hit him, and then she started blaming all sorts of things on Roger.  I told her that hitting is not something she should do, and started giving her advice of how to make amends with her little brother.  She was unwilling to budge or forgive him in any way.  I took a deep breath, stepped out of the room, and then a thought came to me of an article I read a while back of a similar situation.  I returned to the room, and said to Brooke,  "Sweetheart, I know it isn't easy to forgive your brother, and I just don't have the answer on how to solve this.  Will you please go to your room and say a prayer, and see what you should do to fix this situation?"  She reluctantly went to her room and shut the door.  Meanwhile, I knelt down and said a prayer that her prayers would be answered.

A few minutes later she came out and asked if she could have some wrapping paper.  Normally I don't like her getting into my wrapping stuff, because she tends to overstep her bounds and I don't have wrapping paper when I need it.  But I reluctantly said, yes, and she grabbed a roll of wrapping paper, thanked me, and went back into her room.  I could hear her humming and ticking away in her room as she wrapped up Rogers's basketball (that they have been fighting over for the past couple of days) and a little wooden box that I had bought for Roger at JoAnns craft store.

A little while later, she brought a wrapped gift downstairs, and handed it to Roger.  "Here Roger, I have a present for you!"  Roger, who LOVES getting presents, excitedly tore off the paper.  "My ball? and my treasure chest!"  Brooke said,  "I decorated your treasure chest and filled it with jewels (made out of tin foil)."  She was so happy about giving this gift to her brother, and he was happy to receive it. They played happily after that for quite a while.

As I have been thinking about this experience these past two days, I noticed that what helped Brooke to forgive her brother wasn't what I expected.  She is a very creative person, and nothing makes her happier than to make things for other people.  It was her use of creativity that got her heart in the right place to patch things up with her brother--something I wouldn't have thought of for her to do.  We both learned a lesson that day.  She learned that if she has a problem, saying a prayer can help to solve it, and I learned that sometimes moms just don't have all the answers. . .