Even the youngest can overcome a situation.

Last week after doing some shopping we decided to stop and have lunch at Asahi-one of our favorites. Well, at least for Steve and I. The last time we took Caroline she was very afraid of the grill-they cook the food right in front of you and sometimes put on a show with loud noises and fire. This upset Caroline in the past. So we are sitting there and a good friend of ours is our chef and I requested the 'no fire' show and he said of course. When he turned on the overhead exhaust fan, Caroline covered her ears and she turned to me and said mommy I want to go outside! The fear in her eyes could of overwhelmed anyone and I could see this anxiety come over her little body. My first thought was to take her outside like she requested, but I didn't. Not this time. I wanted her to see and understand that there was nothing to fear. When we got our drinks there was a little animal stir straw in Caroline's drink-it was an octapus. After the many requests to leave the table, I picked up Mr. Octapus and distracted Caroline's attention with a little game. Mr. Octapus was going to have some lunch with Caroline and show her there is nothing to be afraid of. It was God's mercy that I was able to take control of the situation and talk a little girl down from her anxiety. She asked Mr. Octapus a lot of questions about the experience and she settled down and we all had a nice lunch.