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Let Go, Move On, and Watch Out For Flying Rocks

Today my daughter hit a man in the head with a rock. 

 She didn't mean to of course. We were out and about in Dumbo, one of our favorite weekend hangouts, just chillin by the river, tossing rocks and watching the waves from the ferry boats crash. It was lovely and serene and all kinds of familial bliss until...

  "OW! She hit me!"
"I'm so so sorry". From my husband who instantly rushed over to see if the man was ok.
"Maya go apologize." From me. 
Maya, still shocked, walked over to the poor dude and said what I thought was a very mature and heartfelt apology. "Sorry."
"I'm really really sorry." 
That's my man again, the karate and jiu-jitsu guy. Who says fighters are jerks?

 The wounded guy, to his credit, did not get angry. Instead, he said it was ok and just walked away, rubbing his head and looking completely bewildered. I guess it is not every day that you get hit in the head by a five year old. Unless you have a five year old, in which case you are always protecting your head. And your groin. And your coffee mug.

 But I digress. It took Maya about five minutes of stunned silence before the whole thing sunk in and she  burst into tears. She cried for a long time.

 On the plus side, here are the valuable parenting lessons you can instill when your child hits a perfect stranger in the head with a big pointy rock:

  1. Sometimes when mommy and daddy say be careful it is not just random nagging. It is because not being careful can lead to people getting hurt. So look before you cross the street, don't torture the dog, and don't throw rocks too close to other people.
  2. It is ok to feel bad when you hurt someone by mistake. In fact, it is a good thing. People who don't care are jerk faces. You feel sad because you are a sensitive, caring human being who doesn't like to see others hurting. And that makes us very very proud of you.
  3. Accidents happen. Bad things happen. Say you are sorry and then move on. Learn to let go. Don't let one bad thing consume everything.
Umm....did I just say that?
Me, the person who can easily obsess for hours about one little mistake. Me, the person who can let a bad day turn into a bad night faster than you can say "where's the wine?". Me who tries to control every little detail of every little thing and then wonders why I lie awake at 3am with a million thought running through my head. 

Something about a pot and a kettle. 

Learn to let go. Don't let one bad thing consume everything.
I swear I actually choked on the words a little. And then laughed at myself. Which, by the way, is a huge step in the right direction.

I guess my daughter and I will work on these skills together.

 The moral of this Sunday tale is if you are ever here, in Dumbo Brooklyn, by these rocks...
..please keep your hands up.

I'm just saying.
Really sorry about your head, buddy. I hope you're ok.

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