One of my daughters has been experiences intense emotions. She has always been assertive and steadfast.... and prone to outbursts and fits. But she is to the age that I can no longer pass it off as a "phase". I have been praying about ways to reach her precious heart when she is upset and to know her deeper so that I can help her cope with her emotions.
This week, God showed me a new way to reach her.
(A little backstory - this daughter is learning to read and write. But, because she has an "attitude of excellence" (aka perfectionism), she has been resistant to reading and writing because she can't do it perfect the first time. In the past two weeks, she has grown comfortable with writing things the way they sound and not worrying about spelling.)
So, during one of her fits, said child showed up with a whiteboard and dropped it at my feet. Her message?
"Sad. Can I eat now quietly? Can you not talk bad please?" My heart melted. She found a way to express her feelings in a way that didn't hurt herself or others. Later in the day, when she was upset again (it was a rough day), I got another white board note from her, this one asking for a reply.
So, I put together a journal for us to use to communicate back and forth with each other. We leave it on each other's pillows when we want the other to read it. And everytime this child has been upset in the past two days, she has used the journal to work through her feelings.
Not only is she learning to express herself, but there are other valuable lessons.
I have left a few scripture references that she has learned to look up on my Bible app
She is trying to read my notes to her and doing great!
She is really trying with her spelling, and has asked me to write the correct spellings above her words. This may actually be the way she learns to read and write.
God is good! I give Him full credit for the journal idea. And I know that He is working on this daughter's heart in ways that I can't.
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