Cecilia, a lively six-year-old with curly dirty-blonde hair and bright blue-eyes, sat on her mom’s lap, wiggling with excitement. She was known for her big feelings, especially when things didn’t go her way. Her mom had just finished reading a book she had received this Christmas featuring one of her favorite cartoon characters. At the end of the book were directions to draw the characters from the book.Cecilia squirmed off her mom’s lap and marched to the dining room table, dragging the book along with her. She plopped herself into one of the chairs, her curly dirty-blonde hair bouncing as she climbed up. The table was already set with a freshly sharpened pencil, a rainbow of crayons, and a handful of markers. She had everything but a sheet of paper and decided to draw on the back of another coloring page she found nearby."I can’t do it!" she yelled, slamming the pencil onto the table. Frustration bubbling over, she began stomping her feet and crying loudly. Her fists clenched, and tears streamed down her cheeks as she pounded the table in frustration.“I’ll never get it right!” she wailed, her voice rising. “I’m just stupid!”Her mom quickly sat at the table beside her, her expression calm but concerned. “Sis, it’s okay to feel upset,” she said softly, reaching out to stroke her daughter’s curls. But Cecilia shook her head and banged her fists again. Her mom stayed quiet for a moment, letting Cecilia cry it out. When the sobs started to slow, she gently said, “Sister, you’re not stupid. You’re learning something new, and that takes time. It’s hard, but you can do hard things.” Cecilia sniffled and looked at her mom, her lip quivering. “But it’s so hard,” she whispered. “I know, Sister,” her mom said, leaning closer to her. “Why don’t we try something together? First, let’s take some deep breaths to calm down.” Cecilia hesitated but eventually nodded. Her mom exaggerated a big breath in and out, making a silly whooshing sound. Cecilia giggled a little through her tears and mimicked her mom. After a few breaths, her crying stopped, and her stomping feet stilled. Her mom smiled. “Now, let’s break it down. What’s the first thing we need to draw? Just one part.” Cecilia wiped her eyes with her sleeve and glanced at the book on the table. “The head,” she said quietly. “Okay, let’s start with a circle. It doesn’t have to be perfect.” Cecilia gripped her pencil again and carefully drew a circle on the blank side of the coloring page. It wasn’t perfectly round, but her mom nodded enthusiastically. “That’s a great start! What’s next?" With her mom’s gentle encouragement, Cecilia worked through the steps. She used the pencil to sketch the daddy dog’s pointy ears, big nose, and happy grin. When it came time to add the dog’s big belly, she switched to a dark colored marker, hesitating before drawing wobbly lines. For the finishing touches, she grabbed her markers to color in his wagging tail and add little details like his whiskers and a bright, cheerful smile. Finally, with a triumphant stroke of her marker, Cecilia finished the last detail. She held up her drawing proudly, her bright blue eyes shining. “Look, Mama! I did it!” she exclaimed, her earlier tantrum forgotten. Her mom clapped her hands. “You sure did, Sister. And you know what? You didn’t give up, even when it was hard. I’m so proud of you.” Cecilia grinned, hugging the picture to her chest. “I’m gonna draw the mommy dog next!” Her mom laughed. “I can’t wait to see it.” And so, with her supplies spread out on the table, Cecilia dove back into her drawing, her confidence growing with every line and stroke of color.