We went on a road trip this weekend to visit my son. He’s away at his grandma’s for a three-week visit and we are popping up to see him on weekends to soak up some sun. We went the whole first week with a steady stream of photos, but no phone calls. This didn’t really phase us, but we were curious to find out what kept him from the phone.
When we arrived, I tried to coax him to call his dad but he flat out refused. I asked him why he didn’t want to call and finally he explained.
“Daddy said if I got homesick, all I had to do was call and he would come get me. I’m not ready to go home, so I didn’t call,” he shrugged as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. It was all I could do not to laugh. I texted a quick explanation to his father who similarly saw the humour in the situation. Our child is so, so literal. But he still wasn’t going to phone. He still has two weeks to go on his adventure.
At the end of the day, we were settling into bed. My boyfriend and I were sprawled out on the floor and my son was supposed to be in his pop-up tent, but he was having none of that. He climbed in beside me and cuddled in. My boyfriend, admitting defeat, ambled up to the sofa to give us the larger sleeping space.
“I’m keeping you company!” he announced, excitedly. I smiled in the darkness at his enthusiasm. I know enough about co-sleeping to know that it’s a fast track to a foot in your face at 3 am. My sister’s dog decided he wanted in as well and we were soon a pile of blankets, dog hair, and little boy limbs.
“I have a compliment for you,” he continued, “You are an amazing mom and you’re doing a great job!” he whispered. I beamed silently. My sweet, sweet little boy. The glow of the moment soon ended.
“Now let’s pluck some nose hairs” he giggled. What the what?!?! I was understandably nervous, but he was just messing with me because that’s just who he is.
This trip to the Okanagan took us right where we intended and a couple places we didn’t (like piled up on the living room floor), but most importantly it took us to laughter. In the end, we all got what we needed: love, family and the good fortune of leaving with all of our nose hairs intact.
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