Empathy
Raina shows genuine concern for her loved ones. Before we leave for daycare, she ensures that her cow is wrapped up in a blanket so he can sleep and that he has a stuffed friend so he won't be lonely. As soon as we head home from daycare, she starts saying "Cow misses me. He's lonely. Needs a hug." and as soon as we get home (and strip off winter wear) Raina reconnects with the cow. They spend a good 3-4 minutes together before she officially returns to interact with us.
She also recognizes that other people have loved ones and feel the same way. She frequently reports that Roxanne is "sad and lonely because she misses Sammy." Additionally, she'll group similar items together (a small and large bear, for instance) and say "awww, they love each other and they're a family."
Raina and I were sent home early yesterday because of bad weather conditions, and we celebrated by watching Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey. The film follows two lost dogs and one cat in their attempt to find their owners. It's a heartwarming tale, it pulls on my sappy tendencies each time I watch it, and I was certain Raina would like it because of the animals.
This film was an emotional roller-coaster for Raina. Occasionally the animals met with perilous situations and Raina panicked that they were hurt or lost even more. She kept repeating "Are they okay? Where's the kitty, Mommy? Is the kitty okay? The dogs miss the kitty."
I also heard a continuous refrain of "Peter misses his Shadow" and other statements about missing someone and being lonely and loving one another. Once, in response, I told her "they miss their animals like you miss your cow." She visibly reacted, like she totally understood what I said and what that meant, and she hugged her cow tighter as we continued the movie.
One scene involves a little girl who is also lost. The animals discover her, comfort her, and then direct her parents to where the little girl is located. Raina SOBBED at the reunion scene, and she had no idea how to cope with these intense emotions she was feeling. She understood what it meant to be lost and to miss someone and she was so grateful that she wasn't lost and that she had her parents with her. She was emotionally overwhelmed. We cuddled tightly for the remainder of the movie.
Her reaction was even stronger when the animals finally reconnect with their human owners. She just cried and laughed and smiled and hugged me and watched as the animals and humans did the same thing. I asked her how she felt and she said "I'm happy, Mommy. They found each other." And she just smiled, contentedly, as she snuggled with me.
She also recognizes that other people have loved ones and feel the same way. She frequently reports that Roxanne is "sad and lonely because she misses Sammy." Additionally, she'll group similar items together (a small and large bear, for instance) and say "awww, they love each other and they're a family."
Raina and I were sent home early yesterday because of bad weather conditions, and we celebrated by watching Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey. The film follows two lost dogs and one cat in their attempt to find their owners. It's a heartwarming tale, it pulls on my sappy tendencies each time I watch it, and I was certain Raina would like it because of the animals.
This film was an emotional roller-coaster for Raina. Occasionally the animals met with perilous situations and Raina panicked that they were hurt or lost even more. She kept repeating "Are they okay? Where's the kitty, Mommy? Is the kitty okay? The dogs miss the kitty."
I also heard a continuous refrain of "Peter misses his Shadow" and other statements about missing someone and being lonely and loving one another. Once, in response, I told her "they miss their animals like you miss your cow." She visibly reacted, like she totally understood what I said and what that meant, and she hugged her cow tighter as we continued the movie.
One scene involves a little girl who is also lost. The animals discover her, comfort her, and then direct her parents to where the little girl is located. Raina SOBBED at the reunion scene, and she had no idea how to cope with these intense emotions she was feeling. She understood what it meant to be lost and to miss someone and she was so grateful that she wasn't lost and that she had her parents with her. She was emotionally overwhelmed. We cuddled tightly for the remainder of the movie.
Her reaction was even stronger when the animals finally reconnect with their human owners. She just cried and laughed and smiled and hugged me and watched as the animals and humans did the same thing. I asked her how she felt and she said "I'm happy, Mommy. They found each other." And she just smiled, contentedly, as she snuggled with me.
Comments
Good movie. Raina is great.
One more fragmented random sentence!