…He kinda stole my heart. He calls me mom.
I spent some time with my almost 8 year old son this week. After I picked him up from school one day, I took him to his new favorite frozen yogurt place. I watched him as he chose the flavors he likes the most, carefully adding them to his cup. Then he moved on over to the toppings bar. There is a variety to choose from: fresh fruit (which he completely skips over), candy, granola, cookies, crushed candy bars, sprinkles and sweet sauces. I sometimes think he’s there just for the toppings. I know for me, it’s a very difficult decision to make.
Once we paid for our delicious treat, we decided to sit outside and enjoy the day. We sat down and talked about how our day went. This was quality time, so I made sure to leave my phone in my bag. I didn’t want any distractions. There aren’t many moments like this that we get to share together because of our busy routines.
A few times I just caught myself watching him as he talked, noticing how grown up he actually is. I sit in awe of the boy he’s become. I can’t help but smile. We talked more about his upcoming birthday festivities. He wants a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle theme party. He talked about his friends from school and how he wants to set up a play date with them.
We finished up our frozen snack and headed home, with our bellies full and smiles on our faces.
This may not seem like a lot to some people, but it meant the world to me. Something as simple as frozen yogurt and small talk, really turned out to be a lot more than that. It was me realizing that no matter how stressful times can be as a parent, it’s special moments like this that make it all worth it.