My first born . . . he was the center of my universe, I was the center of his. He had my attention and nurturing 24/7. He sought me out to play dinosaurs with him, asked if he could help in the kitchen, and make a space for me at his little table so we could color together. Then, at 1-1/2 his little sister arrived. I had more juggling to do, but we still maintained our mom and son alone times while his sister was napping. Then . . . two more sisters arrived – at the same time.
The Big Brother
The 2-1/2 year-old boy was now considered the big kid. He was now the big brother of 3 sisters, and I had to work hard to give him my undivided attention. He would happily help mom with baby-related ‘chores’ such as folding the piles of cloth diapers, or playing with Nicole while I put the twins down for a nap. In his first 2-1/2 years of his life, we transitioned from mommy and me, to mommy, me and my three sisters.
Fast forward to 17, and I have a young man on my hands. I long for the days when I was the center of his world, but as teenagers do, he began seeking his independence, we saw less and less of him. He’s making his way to becoming a fine young man, and relying less on his mom.
But, with last Friday’s removal of his molars, he’s letting me be Mom, and allowing me to nurture him a bit.
And I’m enjoying every minute of it.
Aside from making sure he is comfortable and moving towards mending, I’m soothing him with a bit of food. And I know he is enjoying it – milkshakes, homemade vanilla pudding, his own bottle of Naked Juice Mighty Mango (yeah, he doesn’t have to share with his sisters!)
Food and Nurturing
I love the fact that there has been no push-back from him this past weekend. He’s accepting being taken care of, and enjoying the additional attention from mom. It feels good, especially since I know he’ll be headed off to college this Fall. I guess at that time I’ll have to transition into sending care packages!
You don’t need surgery to find time to nurture your family – look for little ways to do so every day. How about Grayson’s favorite post-op food, Homemade Vanilla Pudding.
You can also try this delicious Butterscotch Pudding.
Have a great week!
