Accidents Do Happen

Last night, Dec. 9, Angie was trying to be helpful. She had turned off the lights on the Christmas tree and the lights around the Nativity scene. She then wanted to turn off the light in the curio cabinet when she grabbed the glass shelf to sturdy herself. Of course, the shelf was not attached and it sent everything tumbling to the ground, breaking one piece of a Nativity scene that Deb had in the cabinet. Deb and I were in the kitchen talking when the accident happened. We went running into the front room to see Angie dashing to hide behind the couch. When I grabbed Angie as she was trying to hide (with a great amount of fear and apprehension on her face), she screamed and then started to cry. I quickly realized it was an accident after I saw that the lights on the tree and around the big Nativity were off. I told her to stop crying and tell me what had happened. When I told her that we knew it was an accident, she stopped crying to tell us what happened.

As a parent, I began to wonder if I have not been doing right in raising her. Why would she want to flee and hide after an accident? Why did she not run to us for protection? I know we have put the fear of death into her if she broke any of "Mommy's pretties." Perhaps we need to give her more support and comfort. I don't know. This is the first time around for this parenting thing!