After a routine doctor’s visit, young Johnny sulked in the backseat of the car, refusing to look at his dad. His dad, confused, tried to talk to him and find out what was wrong, but Johnny wouldn’t budge.
Finally, after several minutes of silence, Johnny’s dad pulled the car over and turned to face him. “Son, what’s going on? Why won’t you look at me?”
Johnny finally turned to him, a pout on his face. “The doctor gave me a shot, and it hurt! And then he gave me a lollipops, and it was delicious! But then I realized that the shot was supposed to make me feel better, but the lollipop made me feel even better! I don’t know how to feel!”
Johnny’s dad couldn’t help but chuckle at the little boy’s dilemma. He reassured him that it was okay to feel confused and that the most significant thing was that he was feeling better. They drove home, and Johnny finally cracked a smile and looked at his dad.
From that day forward, Johnny’s dad made sure to always have a stash of lollipops on hand for after doctor visits, just in case. And Johnny learned that sometimes, it’s okay to feel conflicting emotions, as long as we can find a way to make sense of them in the end.