Parenting on Purpose

The little girl seemed to stare directly out of the book. Her soft auburn hair sat nicely on her shoulders; her cheeks were rosy and bursting with health. But it was her eyes that told the story. Gazing into the distance as if in anticipation of what was supposed to come, they provided the best indication of how the poor child felt. Our elder son took his time to study the picture of the little girl staring out of the window. He seemed transfixed by the image; choosing neither to turn the page, nor to put down the book. After what seemed like hours, the two-year-old pointed at the girl with a frown on his forehead.  "Lonely," he said. "Oh?" asked his Daddy. "What do you mean, Z?" "Lonely," insisted the little boy. "Are you lonely, my son?" asked the father. "Yes," he replied. It was some months ago that I discovered just how useful "My Little Book of Feelings" was. It was a simple pocket-sized board ...