Last night I was giving my little guy a bath. We were playing with his little trains and goofing off. Everything was fine until I tried to get him to lay back into my arms so I could wet his hair without water getting into his face. (He is much like his mother and can not stand for water to get into his face.)
At first he was fine but as he went further back the more scared he became. I tried to sooth and comfort him telling him that it would be okay, but he was still hesitant. After a moment of talking and calming him he finally trusted that I was not going to let him go all the way under. I finished wetting his hair and pulled him back up. We shampooed it and then it was time to rinse. Again, not wanting to use the cup I tried to lay him back and he went back into my hands gently and let me rinse with no problem at all. Within an instance he knew that he could trust me. That I would not fail him.
This leads me to the question of trust. I have never been a trusting person. It all leads back to my childhood and people (my parents) that I trusted most disappointing me time and time again and never “earning” that trust back. Since then it takes a lot for me to trust and very little to break that trust.
Trust is a gift. A gift that is earned. When someone gives you the gift of their trust you should protect it. Don’t throw it away. It is much too beautiful for that.
