Forgiveness

Yesterday we were down in the basement and Henry was messing around with my computer, as I was using it. He knows he isn't supposed to, but it's irresistible to him. Anyway, something happened--like something shorted out or something--because he kept putting his earphones in the different slots. So the computer buzzed for a second and then went blank, and I couldn't even shut it off.

I sort of panicked, because I was working on a freelance project, and though I did make a backup relatively recently, there were things I hadn't yet backed up. I was convinced our hard drive fried and I would be unable to use my computer.

So I got sort of mad at Henry, and told him that it made me really sad that he disobeyed me about the computer when he knows he's not supposed to play with it, that it might be broken now, and that makes me sad.

He was *really* concerned (to the point he was almost in tears), and then he asked, "Do you forgive me, mommy?!" Oh, my heart broke. I say the same thing to him when I lose my temper with him, so I know how he feels when he just wants your forgiveness and wishes he hadn't done it in the first place. So I scooped him up, told him that I forgave him, and that everything was OK. He liked that.