Tears and cuddles

One thing I've really tuned into while having to lie in bed upstairs while my family are downstairs are the tears. We have three really high energy boys, one of which is super sensitive, one of which is super emotional, and one of which is two. To keep things in order, we've always needed to run a tight ship. We try to allow the boys as much latitude as we can, but we have to reign things in quickly before they get out of control.

Nevertheless, there are always moments in the day when sharp words of warning must be used, usually to prevent injury. Often our boys' emotional response is tears. Half of the time the answer is to remove the boy from the situation (have some time apart in their room - not as a punishment, just as a way to calm down) and the other half of the time we have a cuddle.

Lately, every time I hear those tears start (yes, they are always accompanied by a good healthy loud cry), all I want is to pull them up into bed with me and cuddle and wipe away those tears from their cheeks. It has really made me want to always have that reaction to my boys' tears, not just when I removed from the stress of parenting. Although I know a balance must be struck between comforting and indulging, I like this new outlook bed rest have given me.