The Facts of Life

Last night, A. came downstairs because he couldn't get to sleep. This is a fairly common occurrence at the moment, especially with his broken arm. We talked about what was bothering him, and eventually he said how much he wished he had a brother or sister living with us, so then he would not be so scared at night. This is something that many 'only' children must feel (he has two half brothers much older who he doesn't see often), and I felt so very sorry for him.

We talked about this and then things moved on to where babies come from. (I have been wondering when/if he would ask about this sometime!) He sort of knew already, but wanted to be sure. I won't go into our conversation as it was between us, but he did ask, with a certain amount of disbelief, 'Did you and Daddy have to do that to get me?'

However, the main thing about that conversation which has stayed with me, was his struggle with the idea that there are certain things in life that we just can't have, however much we would like them. We talked about his love to have a sibling and how that couldn't happen now, and he then said, 'Well, I suppose we just have to be happy with how things are. and not wish for things we know we can't have' And it was so moving, knowing how much it meant for him to say that.

The facts of life seem so much more complex than simple biology... My question today is, 'What facts of life are you finding difficult to deal with at the moment, and what can you focus on to make things a bit easier NOW?'