Sensitive Kate

This first story happend back in January, after Mac took a job two hours away, which means we only see him on the weekends, if that, because he also travels on weekends. It's been hard on all of us. I thought it was hardest on me, but our daughters are sensitive to the change too, especially Kate.

Kate: "Sometimes when daddy's gone for a month or two, and I look at the picture of him smiling, I cry." Upon saying this, she started sobbing, so I hugged her and asked her why she cried. "Because I miss him." I told her she didn't have to be sad right now because Daddy was coming home this very night. I hugged her tight some more and told her that Daddy sometimes looked at her and her sister's pictures and cried too because he misses them. She looked at me and said, "I would really miss him if he died." "I don't think he's going to die for a long long time," I said. "I know," she said, and then, "If he died, I would cry and cry until he wasn't dead anymore." More tears. I told her I would feel the same way. Avery and Lilly looked on a little puzzled, not being quite as sensitive or mature as their six-year-old sister.

This next story happened this week:
Kate was in Joshua's bedroom talking to him and playing with him when she suddenly started sobbing (yeah, this happnes a lot with her). Worried, I rushed in and asked what was the matter. "I never want to leave him!" she cried. I didn't quite understand what she meant until she continued, "He's so cute! And I love him so much!" More tears and uncontrollable sobbing.

A couple of days later, she again is playing with Joshua in his room for a long time while I do a few things around the house. Joshua starts fussing, so I finally go in to pick him up and tell her to get her pajammas on when I glance over at her and see that her eyes are full of tears. "What's the matter?" I ask her. "I'm feeling like I love him again," she says to me.

Kate's a pretty special kid. I don't know what I'd do without her!