Realizing You Made A Mistake...

Hello all,
I hope everyone is doing well. I am counting down the last few days of this pregnancy and wanted to post a few more entries before I get too busy. Last night Austin and I had the opportunity to talk through family stuff (the transition and just things that were going on in our home). It was a much needed talk, but it was tough for me to take because he told me something that Maddy said in the car on the way home from preschool. She said that "Mommy gets mad at me when I have accidents". Yes, I felt like I got stabbed in the heart. I felt so bad. I know I haven't handled it the best. But that hurt to hear that Maddy said that. I have rarely yelled at the kids, but I struggle with using the right tone with them when I am angry or frustrated. And obviously, Maddy is picking up on it.
Well, going back the topic at hand, Maddy has reverted the last few weeks and had a few accidents (several at home, and a few outside the home). I did what every mom would do first to figure out why....I googled it. :) And after reading through some reasons why this would happen, I am guessing it has to do with the baby coming and also the change that Maddy and Drew now share the same room. Regardless, when she has had an accident, I have on occasion told her that's okay, we all have accidents...we just keep trying (FYI: The correct way to handle it) ....but there have been a few times where I just don't say anything at all or will make her feel guilty by the way I treat or talk to her.
Well, this morning I woke up and was lucky to take her on a "date" to talk to her about this and ask her to forgive me. We talked about how I make mistakes to and have accidents. And one mistake I made was to get mad at her for having an accident. She luckily forgave me and now knows to "call me out" if I get "mad" at her for having an accident. We'll see how it goes.
I know she "get's it" because today we went to the grocery. Drew and Maddy did not do a good job listening to me. They did not stay close to the cart and didn't get into the car seat when I was talking to a friend. So, in the car, I told them they didn't do a good job listening so they were going to go to time out when we got home. And in response to that, Maddy yelled in a cheerful voice "That's okay mommy. We all make mistakes.....but we just keep trying next time". I couldn't help but laugh at her. She just grinned as big as she could.
So, today was a great day making amends with Maddy. I just finished reading "Grace Based Parenting"....obviously, I have a lot to learn about giving grace. But the main point is that children have 3 needs: a secure love, a significant purpose and a strong hope. And you can provide these needs by giving them the freedom to be different, the freedom to be vulnerable, the freedom to be candid and the freedom to make mistakes. I know I won't be perfect but I do hope that today is a day Maddy will remember in which she will know that her parents will give her grace when she make mistakes.
Just wanted to share with you the things I am learning. Hopefully somebody can learn from my mistakes!:)

On a completely different note. I had to share a Drew moment.
Maddy has been going to preschool 2 days a week. So, I have enjoyed some special time with Drew. One day when he was getting in the car, he went into my purse and stole a piece of gum. He thought it was hilarious. I told him it was okay this time but next time he needed to ask. Well, a few hours later I was putting away the dishes from lunch and looked for Drew. He was awfully quiet. I found him in the closet, next to my purse, about to put another piece of gum in his mouth. I told him he couldn't have it because it was his nap time. His eyes started to water and he honestly started to bawl. I felt so bad. So, I explained to him that gum is "special" and we can only have it at certain times. And while I was hugging him he said, "But I'm special, mommy". Aww....it was so sweet....but I still made him take a nap!:) I just gave him a piece of gum after he woke up.