Dear Karen,
I know you've been thinking about what happened the other night quite a bit. People rarely surprise you, but Jake managed to do so that night, didn't he?
You were so aggravated at the twins' shenanigans so late at night, so much so that you and your husband felt forced to punish them by promising to return their newly bought toys to the store the next morning. Only Jake, who was well-behaved, was going to be able to open his new spy goggles the next day.
When he came into your room in tears, you were sure that he misunderstood and thought his toy was to be returned the next day, as well. That wasn't the case though, was it? He was crying because he felt so terrible that his little brother and sister were going to lose their toys. Their sadness affected him so much. Then, in turn, his surprising empathy towards them deeply affected you.
You had to think quickly about what would make Jake feel better. It broke your heart to see him so sad. Then you came up with the idea of saving the toys for Jake to give as Christmas gifts to his brother and sister. You were so relieved that the idea put a smile on his face. That's when you realized that, no matter how much he doesn't listen sometimes and how his 7-year-old-boy humor gets on your last nerve other times, you and your husband did something right in raising a good little person with such a big heart.
