What I Can Do

See this little guy? His name is Froggy and AC has had him since she was two years old. She quit requiring his presence at bedtime maybe two years ago, but called down to me last night around 10 PM to ask if I could find him. She really thought he would help her go to sleep. As I dug through toy boxes and storage containers that are kept in the garage, I asked myself why in the world I was going to this much trouble to find a stuffed animal. But in the same second that I asked myself this question, I knew the answer.

I can't control the fact that her teacher is at a conference and the class is in total chaos under the supervision of the substitute. I can't control that she is in tears when she gets in the car because all this added activity overwhelms her. I can't control that she sometimes faints and loses consciousness for no apparent reason. I can't control that a classmate coughs on her and passes her all those lovely strep throat germs. I can't control that her friend at school likes to brag when her team wins the relay or that she has to run slower than she is capable in Running Club because she has to stay with the group. On a day-to-day basis all the minor irritations and hurts are completely out of my control.

But, I can control whether or not she has her "Froggy" in bed with her at night. That is what I can do.