I remember wrapping him in swaddling clothes and lying him in a crib. The midnight feedings, his first steps, our rocking chair.
I remember the joy and chaos of life with an infant. The schedule changes, his tiny smile, our time together when the rest of the house was empty. And silent.
I remember him, forever, as my baby.
~
But tonight I’m starting to see that the baby has officially hit the half-way mark to 8, noted by his infatuation with dirt bikes, snowboards, and basically, any kind of sport that gives me ulcer-inducing nightmares of him cracking all his teeth out of his head and possibly suffering a minor concussion.
He has opinions about what he wears, whether the temperature deems wearing an actual jacket [he counts fleece-lined sweatshirts as being good enough], and now, he cares about his hair.
His dad and I don’t mind this new burst of independence, although his cowlicks and course mop make the carefree J.Crew-kid hairstyle an impossibility. Instead, we bargained: He may grow out the top of his hair, but the sides have to stay trimmed to avoid any confusion between his ‘do and a bonafide helmet.
The compromise is working. It’s also making his look so old. And quite tough. Like a dirt bike rider or a snowboarder.
I’m guessing that’s what he wanted.
Funny, though, how a mother’s heart most often repaints her landscape with a retrospective lens. Because to me, he’ll always be my sweet little boy.
Those cute little babies? False advertising, because they grow up to be teenagers. I consider it a major accomplishment that…
1) we all survived;
2) we still like (and love) each other;
3) no jail time;
4) we always talked through most of the years;
5) they enjoy spending time with us–not as much as their peers but we are high enough on the list to feel good.
My boys are delightful (and responsible) young men!!
Mary, I love your parenting thoughts and advice. # 3 made me laugh!! I’ll be contacting you once adolescence begins!
Oh yes, the pics were worth the price of admission tonight!! Give J a hug for me, even though he won’t remember me.
I will 🙂
He is looking tough! Glad he’s our neighbor and on our side of things, we may have to call him to scare away a few bad guys!!
…and he really likes your daughter 🙂
Are you sure that last pic is not of little M? The resemblance is amazing!!!! Love J’s tough look. 🙂
I know–J and M are nearly twins in their baby/toddler pictures. There are some that I can barely tell apart!