Two weeks ago, a friend of mine had a baby boy. Her son is in the same Gan class, and so Raphaela attended her first Brit Milah [circumcism]. She paid little attention to the actual event, she loved the fact that they had mini pizzas for the kids.
More than anything else, Raphaela kept expressing awe at the fact that her friend had such a large and festive family, and that they all lived in the same country and could play with each other whenever they wanted.
Earlier this week, after bath time, Raphaela decided that she missed my parents, and that she needed to Skype them right away, otherwise she wouldn't be able to fall asleep.
This past Shabbat, cousins of ours from New York were visiting Israel and staying near by, and we got a chance to hang out with them and catch up on all the family stories from the United States. Raphaela played with the children her age, and sucked in all the attention and hugs from doting adults. As we walked home, Raphaela burst into tears, saying that it "wasn't fair" that our family lives so far away, that people she loves come and then leave. That she wants to live in Israel, but she also wants all her family to move in with us, so she can have a "major sleep over."
I told Raphaela that she was allowed to be sad, she was allowed to miss her family, and that her desire to have family close by is a reasonable and beautiful request. Now I have to find some way to fill that gap for her, so she continues to feel loved without the fear of abandonment.
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