Every evening there is a minute.
A tiny sliver of the day I cherish.
A moment that I have participated in thousands of times with three boys has recently taken on the significance of scarcity.
Rhett(5) still asks for me to help him with his bath.
He is a force of independence the rest of the day and night which is why I willingly accept.
He fakes bathing incompetence. He pretends he can’t wash his hair. He acts as though he has never been introduced to soap. He reports no knowledge of towel location.
I know he knows better.
He knows he knows better.
As the water swirls down the drain, he climbs onto my towel covered lap.
The full-size bath towel wraps around him and he snuggles into it completely. Except a leg will escape. Except his shoulder will poke out.
He relaxes into my arms pausing the day.
Sometimes I rock him gently. Sometimes I tousle his hair with a dry corner. Sometimes I sneak a kiss on his damp cheek.
I notice the significance. He is my last. He is 5. He is getting too old for bathing assistance. Someday will be the last day he will tolerate this moment.
Was it tonight?
Awwww… these moments with our kids go by way too fast! Thanks for the reminder to cherish these moments!
I know it! I wonder if every night is going to be the last night Ryan wants me to snuggle him before bed. He actually gets tears in his eyes when I sing him “his song”…and not because I’m a dreadful singer either.
That just put a huge lump in my throat. Oh, how I mourne the loss of each day.
Aw, so sweet! I’ve got to go give my kids kisses on their cheeks while they sleep…
Geeze Holly, that made me cry! 🙁 ugh. I have moments like that with my boys too. My 6 yr old is on a hugging kick – I have to stop myself every time I feel annoyed that he is interrupting me again to give me a hug, and remind myself that some day he won’t even want to talk to me, much less hug me and get in my lap. I know one day I will miss it so much.
ok well that just sucked
That makes me cry. Recently, however, I’ve realized how much I miss the boys being small and semi-dependent. My 10 yr old “baby” only wants to hug and snuggle when he’s super tired or sometimes first thing in the morning. I miss them needing me more for those little things.
oh. Don’t make me cry. My kids are growing so fast. I don’t even want to think about how fast the last 6 years have gone and how quickly the baby inside me will be 6 and my first baby will be 12.
I just want to cry THINKING about it.
Gah, I sure hope not. Don’t make me cry. They just grow too damn fast… even my already-talking toddler. *sigh*
Oh Holly!!! I feel the same way! I still love to help Reese with his bath when he wants me to…because it won’t last for much longer and it’s such a sweet time to talk, and listen…