02-09-10

Solaris and the Closet Monster

Solaris and I have been working on her emotions. She has been breaking down into tears and fits at the slightest change in breeze. She loves her routine, so when it changes it’s meltdown time. We’ve been learning to go to our bedroom and let it out. Tuesdays are about change–she goes in to gymnastics later than normal. So when her grandmother left for work this morning, triggering a huge tantrum, she crawled into the closet to cry.

I went in and sat with her, letting her cry. I reached out, touched her foot and started talking. I told her I knew change was hard, and it hurts and I think we both knew it went a little deeper than the current situation. I asked her if she wanted to sit on my lap. She waded through the high heels and long dresses her sister and her would dance around in on brighter days and plopped down on one side of my lap. Her sister showed up with a tear streaked face and sat on the other.

Originally I thought staying in Vero would be best for the girls. Too much change all at once would be hard on them. Would forcing them to leave everything they knew be cruel? Now I wonder if the band aid effect would have been easier on all of us.