Bed time is an event in our household that’s looked forward to. Perhaps not so much for my nearly five year old but it certainly is for me and my husband … and not for the reasons you might think. We’ve gotten into a bedtime rhythm with Foster and it’s cherished. After we do the mundane brushing of the teeth, last minute pee and story time, he says his prayers and then…my favorite part…we do pillow talk.
I recall a discussion a few months ago that caught me completely off guard. We were lying in his bed talking about benign things like – what the best part of the day was…what we are going to do the coming weekend – and before I knew it, Foster said, “And Mom, you know what? One day I’m going to move to another house and I won’t live with you and daddy anymore.” Sniff sniff
I looked over and Foster was quietly wiping tears from his eyes at the thought that one day, he would live in a different house than his mom and dad. This delighted me and broke my heart all at the same time. I asked him, “Where did you hear that?” to which he replied, “Miss Maddie!” And now he’s into a full blown sob. Maddie is one of Foster’s school teachers. I figure she probably innocently discussed college one day in class and perhaps the subject arose of how once you get older, you will move away from home and start life on your own. It was amazing to me how much this topic weighed on his little mind since the discussion in school.
I tried to reassure him that it was not something he needed to worry about for many many years and that by then, he will want nothing more than to move away from home; however, his concerns were unassuaged. He said there will never be a time when he’ll want to live in a different house than Mom and Dad. I snuggled with my boy and hugged him tightly, “Foster, this will always be your home. There will always be a place for you at Mom and Dad’s.” As the topics moved on to other things, I couldn’t help but silently ponder the day when tears will fall from my eyes and he’ll be comforting me.
Strawberries & Collard Greens 