It take patience. It takes love. It takes kindness. It takes a sense of humor. It takes the ability to laugh at life when you would much rather be laughing at Family Guy.
"These pretzels would taste better if they were dipped in chocolate." With his cutest 'you love me so much' smile, it is difficult to resist any of my son's requests. So I spring into action, leaving my much loved cartoon behind and hastily pour some homemade chocolate syrup into a small cup. Having made the pretzels much tastier, I direct my son to stay in the dining room. How lucky I am that he listens well.
How unlucky I am that he is related to me and has apparently inherited my clumsiness. To my surprise, he does not cry over the spilt chocolate. He is rather amused and seems almost proud to have the gooey mess oozing all down the front of his shirt and dripping all over his pants, his socks, and the floor.
I handle the situation amazingly well by carefully removing his clothes and washing the would be stains down the drain. As he cleans his hands and face, I mop up a chocolatey trail, thinking how glad I am not to be scrubbing the carpet. The whole incident has me laughing, and I think how lucky I am to be enjoying the moment rather than reacting with anger or frustration.
My son's final comment on the incident: "At least I didn't get any on my underwear." This only makes me laugh even more.
Originally written September 25, 2006.
No comments:
Post a Comment