The Invitation

Yesterday was one of those days. One of those days where the demands of my children and my desire to complete projects were not in alignment. I was irritated at being interrupted with bangs, whines, teasing...I just wanted a few uninterrupted moments to finish the laundry, prep the meal for the next day and rake the massive amount of leaves in the yard. My efforts at staying calm were being thwarted and my inability to finish what I set out to do resulted in my baser level of parenting skills...scolding, raising my voice, "stop that!" "that is enough!" By the end of the day I was exhausted and longing for some "me" time. I wanted to slip into a good book, a new Dan Brown book, the Lost Symbol. I gratefully read a few pages hoping to get a second wind to try again at the unfinished tasks I had so desperately wanted to complete.

Before taking another stab at those tasks I needed to wake my 5 year old for an evening trip to the toilet. My son is such a hard sleeper we have to wake him up in the later evening for a potty break or he will not stay dry through the night. Typically, Nick is so tired during this evening routine that he stumbles back to bed in a daze. Last night for some unknown reason he was chatty. On the way back to his room he turned to look at me and said, "Mommy, would you like to lay down in my bed with me for awhile? My bed is super snuggly and warm. It's much warmer and snugglier than your bed." "Sure, honey", I automatically answered as I nestled down next to him tucking his fleece dragon blanket under his chin. I began to wonder how long I would have to lay there and my thoughts drifted back to my unfinished tasks and the Dan Brown book I wanted to read more of in my own, albeit less "snuggly" bed. But slowly I began to realize that despite enduring my short temper and scolding because of my desire for project completion, my son still wanted to spend time with me. I was still cool. I realized that at 5 years old, I am still the person he most wants to be with. How long, I wondered, before I blink twice and my 5 year old is a 15 year old who will not only NOT be asking me for time together but will more likely be posting "Keep Out" signs on his door.

I lay there for quite some time, long after he had fallen back to sleep. He was right. His bed was definitely more snuggly than mine. And I realized he had given me a valuable lesson. Yes, the laundry was left unfolded. The onions were left uncut. The leaves were so thick on the lawn that I would probably be receiving anonymous "rake me" notes at any time and Dan Brown would have to be postponed. However, I was really right where I wanted and needed to be. There will always be tasks left undone, but the opportunity to accept a little boys invitation to be near was a far more valuable use of my time. The last page of Alison Mcghee and Peter H. Reynold's Book, "Little Boy" rang in my ear......"Little boy, you remind me how so much depends on days made of now."