It is the easiest thing to say that we should forgive people and toughest to practice it.

Some people find it difficult to let things go because we don’t understand the concept of forgiveness. Mother and blogger Mary Katherine Backstrom had learned about it from her 3-year-old daughter. She shared a post on her Facebook page and described the whole thing when she had a little argument with her daughter and got an amazing response from thousands of people.

The post is admirable!

She wrote, “My daughter and I just had a knock-down, drag-out bedtime hour. Finally, about ten minutes ago, I put her to bed and through clenched teeth, I said, “I love you, Holland, but not another word tonight. You are going to sleep now. I’m done fussing over stuffed animals.”

“Mommy?” I paused on the way out the door, literally biting my tongue I was so frustrated. “What is it, Holland?” “I DO have one more thing to say.”

“Of course she did. She was standing on the bed with her hands on her hips too. Her hair was wild and she was using her arm to wipe her tears and snot off of her face. “Mommy, my 3-year-old said, staring me down with venom in her tiny voice… “I FORGIVE YOU!!!”

“Then she laid down and cried and honest to goodness, for a hot minute, I didn’t know what to do. The way she said, “I forgive you,” made it sound like a cuss word. I walked over to the bedside and leaned over. “Baby girl, do you know what forgiveness means?”

“She was still sniffling, her face shoved deep into her Little Mermaid pillow. “Yes,” she muttered. I had to hear this. “It means you were wrong, and I’m tired of being mad, and now I’m going to sleep and my heart won’t have a tummy ache.”

“So there you have it, folks. Tonight I was taught a lesson in forgiveness by a 3-year-old. It was a gut punch too. And you’re dang right I climbed in that bed and loved on her. Because, to be honest, MY heart had a bit of a tummy ache.”

“I was reminded by my toddler to never go to bed angry. Because when you do, your heart will have a tummy ache. And you know what? I’ve been alive for 35 years, and I’ve got to give it to her: She’s not wrong.”

How sweet this is!