There is a simple song that I do with the preschoolers. Before we begin I ask if anyone cried that week. In this way I have learned about the baby sisters and brothers who freely shed tears in the last few days. We also include the kids themselves, as they admit to their friends that they have weathered a sad day. But this week was the first time we sang to a boy's cat. Here are the lyrics.

"What do I do when Penny is crying? What do I do? I don't know what to say? I take Penny in my arms and I hold her. I take Penny in my arms and I love her."

Usually I keep it to three verses, unless some child's urgency cannot be ignored. Then we sing four verses. It seems to soothe them, to know that crying is part of what it means to be a person, whether the crying is about a bloody knee or an ice cream scoop that plopped on the ground. I can sense them processing that yes, last week I was sad, and now I can sing a song about it. 

I like that it gives us all an idea of what to do. Perhaps there is a four year old whose kid sister was wailing, and instead of covering his ears, he wrapped his arms around her. Maybe she felt loved. 

It helps me to remember that it isn't always about a solution. We don't need to shush each other when emotions bubble up. It can be enough just to be a human cocoon.