my baby sad

Today I was reading the book BABY HAPPY BABY SAD to Dashel and Gavin.  It is about all these events that happen to baby, some of which make the baby happy and others make the baby sad and cry.  For example, the baby has a balloon and is happy, but then the baby lets go and the balloon goes into the sky and the baby is sad.  So... each page Dash keeps getting more sad for the baby.  Then all of a sudden, on the above page where the Papa leaves the baby in the crib and goes bye-bye, Dashel's eyes tear up and lower lip quivers and then he busts out into a full on bawl.  He crawled up on to my should and just crried for a few minutes.  I could not believe it!!!!!  Gavin and I were looking at each other in disbelief.  He was sooooo sad.

I think that empathy is one of the most important values/emotions that you can teach a child.  This makes me wonder if sometimes that empathy is just part of a child's nature.  Or maybe Dashel is just a little more sensitive to that.  I just couldn't believe that at his age he understood this baby's emotional state??? What ever it was that caused such an emotional outburst from him, I thought that it was very sweet and a demonstration of the  emotional growth he is going through :-)

SIDE NOTE:  we do not let our children "cry it out in their crib", so he was not emotionally tied to this situation from experience.  Dashel naps in his crib, but is placed there after he is asleep and he is in bed with us at night.  We do not put him in a room and walk out the door.  Just couldn't do it.... personal choice!!!