Childhood Traumas

Poor Brianna had a rough day. First of all, she and Ben and a friend were playing on the swingset in the backyard. I was keeping an eye on them through the kitchen window while I worked on dinner. I heard a little screech, and quickly glanced out. What I saw made my heart skip, and I ran at full speed outside. Brianna's pigtail had gotten caught in the chain of the swing. However, before I could reach her to rescue her, she had torn free, leaving behind a significant bunch of precious hair. OUCH!!!!
As I was trying to comfort her, she said, "I heed a binkie. I a baby." We've been telling her lately that she's a big girl, and binkies are for babies. She got her binkie. (She says 'heed' for 'need', so cute.)


Then, tonight, after the RS Birthday party, Brianna was given a helium balloon. She was incredibly anxious about her balloon as we left the Church, and wanted me to hold it for her. I did so, but had to continually assure her that I had a good hold of it and that it wasn't going anywhere. The poor girl was nearly sobbing.
She was fine holding her balloon on the ride home, but then when we got into the house, she did begin to sob. I tried and tried to get her to tell me, in a coherent fashion, what was upsetting her. Finally, I understood "Rock-scissors the string." She calls scissors 'rock-scissors' from the game "paper/rock/scissors". So I realized that she wanted me to cut the string. I had her show me where to cut the string, so as not to risk further upsetting her. She had me leave about four inches of string. When I handed it back to her, she again began to sob, and told me to "Rock-scissors more." So, I cut off all of the string.
When I handed the balloon back to her, she seemed satisfied, and tried to set the balloon on the floor. When it immediately started to float, she began to freak out. Finally, I realized that she thought the string is what makes the balloon float, and that a floating balloon for some reason was really freaking her out.
I wasn't able to get her to calm down, until I placed the balloon under an empty laundry basket. Even then, she stood back cautiously watching it, and asking, "Not going up?"





So, please, when Brianna's birthday rolls around, DON'T SEND BALLOONS!