Keep You Forever

Today I had a rough day with Princess – we were in the trenches together for over an hour, so to me it feels like a day, but it was only an hour of very rocky rough riding, nothing smooth at all going on. She can be very stubborn and strong willed. I guess I can be too, when I am dealing with her, but I’m not sure that it is my inherent nature. Today I was headstrong in that I was going to “win” this battle with her. It didn’t exactly work that way after several time outs, spankings, and constant back and forth battles. I finally had to stop and let daddy take over before I got absolutely too frustrated with the situation. Although I did not see anything wrong with the request I made of her, I assume that it was the way I communicated with her that caused her to be so stubborn and defiant. However, defiance is never okay. I cannot believe how incredibly patient I was with her until it was time for daddy to take over.

But at the end of the day, when it is time for bed, on special days, Princess melts my heart and there is no way I could ever hold these fits against her. Daniel and I take turns putting each one of our precious babies to bed. Tonight it was my turn with Princess. Tonight was one of the special nights. Tonight was one of those nights when she grabs me and hugs me tight and says over and over, “I will keep you and keep you and keep you forever.” It is perhaps the sweetest, most precious thing I’ve ever experienced. On these particular nights, she doesn’t want me to leave the room. She holds me tight as long as she can. The only way I can leave is if I tell her that she can keep me in her heart forever. I cherish these nights because I know one day soon, she will not have such a warm response for me and it will not be cool to hang tightly to momma. But, oh, how I love looking at her sweet face so close to mine and hearing her sweet voice say over and over again, “I’ll keep you and keep you forever,” and I think to myself, “If only I could keep you and keep you like this too forever, my sweet, precious girl. If only time could stand still for a few more moments.”