Coming to Grips with Emotional Neosporin

Unlike most toddlers, who think band-aids are the solution to all their troubles, my son prefers cream.

“I hurt the finger.  Put cream on it,” he says.

We go through lotion like most families go through Nesquik.

Yesterday, an unhappy four year old yelled at my son to get off his porch.  My son was devastated.  He came running back to me, “Mom!  He hurt my feelings!”

I hugged him.  He cried wildly.  I hugged him more. 

“He hurt the feelings!” he said.

That night, when we struggled to get him in his nice-monster-jammies, he said, “Mom, Tyson hurt my feelings today.  Put cream on them.”

I blinked. I stared.

“Put cream on the feelings,” he said.

So I dabbed a bit of lotion on his chest.   “There, the feelings are all better,” I said.

He seemed satisfied.  If only emotional hurts were so simple to fix . . .

Next time I get my knickers in a twist, I’ll try to remember that I am admonished to become like a child.  Specifically, my child.  If I could scare up emotional closure with lotion, I’d get a lot more foot rubs from my husband and a lot less shoulder shrugging.  That would be good for everyone.