This winter is getting long. The temperatures have been unbearable leaving my whole family to stay inside. They can’t even have recess at school. Irritation and frustration break out on a constant basis between us all.
My 5 year old son, Bency has been affected the most by the confinement. His high energy needs constant release and without the ability to run and play outside; the house has become his playground. It drives me crazy when he races and flips through the house. He screams and hollers through our small abode like a wild bandit. I’ve had to intervene and yell at him on a regular basis to protect the safety and sanity of all the innocent bystanders in our home.
After a short jaunt in his bedroom the other day after a particularly chaotic episode I told him he could come out and asked him if he thought he could behave better now. He looked at me seriously and replied, “I don’t know Mom. I’m really sorry but I was thinking of just acting better tomorrow.”
A few days later, I was reading Bency bedtime stories and tucking him in his bed for the night. I gave him a hug and kiss and told him I loved him. He said he loved me too. I asked him how much he loved me. He got a silly smirk on his face and said, “You know Mom.” I told him I didn’t know.
He then looked bashful. His eyes lit up. His lips turned up at the corners but he appeared to want to hide his smile. He shook his head in slight hesitation and said, “Mooomm…You know you are my True Love.”
My heart did a flip. I stopped dead in my tracks. These little words made my heart melt.
I was too choked up to say anything back so I just grabbed him one more time for an extra tight hug and held him until he said, “Mom, I can’t breathe.”
For a brief moment I wanted to tell him he could run through the house all he wanted. He could do a triple axle flip on the couch. He could flood the house with water and make it into a giant swimming pool. Instead I held my tongue knowing that is not what he needed. He just needed me to keep being his Mom…. guiding him to know right from wrong….teaching him new things….and loving him with all my heart.
Bency and I are really two peas in a pod. We are thinkers. We are creative. We have to be constantly busy. When we screw up our day we like to start fresh the next.
He is my True Love.
Bency and I
That was beautiful… except the part about him being your true love… I guess now I know where I stand…
haha!!! Oh Alex….you know you are my #1 True Love!!
Oh sure… You are just saying that… Now
Awwww! Those are the moments that make being a mom worth it!
Yes! Thank goodness for these kind of moments!
so sweet – and I swear those kids know exactly when we need to hear those words! (usually at our breaking points)
haha!!! Exactly! Something inside them must trigger and they just know “find the right words..find the right words” before Mom completely loses her mind!
Awww… How sweet! Lovely picture of the two of you.
Thank you so much!
Awwww! What a precious little guy! <3
Thank you!! He certainly knows how to charm me when it counts!
GAH!!! My heart is melting. That’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard. Glad you didn’t let the moment get the better of you and tell him he could make the house a pool! lol
haha!!! I know! I’m so glad I thought that one through too!!!
Great Post/Story, parent and child communication, and your look great together. I like this part thinking about being better tomorrow. Bency, keep on loving mom, being close, enjoying your childhood, and doing what’s right. Blessings to you all. http://projectsbyMtetar.wordpress.com
Thank you Mtetar!!! I guess at least I know he’s honest!! It’s so tough being a 5 year old boy and not wanting to run and act crazy! I guess acting better the next day is better than nothing!!!
Yes, and it is his promise. Mtetar
I can relate 100%….my son, Yiannis is high energy high everything boy which I adore and love to pieces but he can drive me nuts..great post! a reminder of why we should not linger on trivial things, right (I keep reminding myself as well)?
Yes…a constant reminder to myself! It’s tough when you can clearly see an accident ready to happen as they spin, run and jump! Oh but those boys can totally wrap us around their little fingers!
very true!
He’s a little charmer! It has been a rough winter, what with the piercing cold. We have a little trampoline (like the kind that you would jog on if you were a total aerobic fitness person) which we let the kids bounce out their energy when they can’t go outside. It’s pretty small but sturdy enough for me to jump on it, it folds up, and it ROCKS! Just a thought.
Oh gosh Joan….I know exactly what you are talking about! All I can picture in my head though is Bency creating some kind of creation with it! I know full well he would not just jump on it…he would put it on top of a chair or use it to vault off of and do a flip over a chair…the possibilities are endless with him! haha!! The emergency room would be my second home if I purchased one of those!!!
What a tender hearted angel face! Luck you!
What a tender hearted angel face! Lucky you!
Thank you so much!
it reminds me of what me and Sam started telling each other when he was little, “loving you, best friending you, forever and evering you…” I had this engraved on the back of a necklace that I gave him on his 15th birthday, made him cry. Isn’t it great to have these mother/son bonds?
Oh wow! That is so cool! What a great gift! Those mother/son bonds are definitely great!
How incredibly sweet! I look forward to the first time my son says “I love you Mom”.
It is something you will never forget!
Oh. My. Goodness. I teared up just reading it and no one even said it to ME!!! I love that you squeezed him until he couldn’t breathe, though–that’s the sign of true love
haha!! To halt breathing is the ultimate sign of the greatest of love!
awh – what a great moment! It’s amazing how so few words can make you melt and forget all the mis-behaving!
Thank you! Yes, as long as he keeps saying nice things I think we can make it until Spring…fingers crossed!
Really sweet post!
Thanks Larry!
You got it.
Btw, it is hard to blame Bency for being a bouncy. He’s a little boy who is cooped up. Shoot, I know plenty of adults who get bouncy this time of year.
I know! I feel the same way as him but I just pace through the house in a slower motion! I ask him to stop running and it’s like he just can’t control himself…he just keeps right on a running….and then he runs into his little brother who falls and hits his head…and then I have to comfort him and then supper gets burned….haha!!! It’s constant chaos!!!
Uggh. I hear you. 45 days till Spring – not that I am counting.
haha!!!
It’s the little moments like that … they are few but powerful.
They really do make an impact! I’m sure he doesn’t even realize, which is why I’m sure they are that much more special!
And this is why we forgive them… everything.
He is going to be able to get away with stealing a car as long as he keeps up this smooth talk!! Okay, I’m really joking about that!
Oh, his true love will forgive him for stealing the car. Eventually.
Oh geez! Add my heart to the melting heart list! He has made us all swoon! What a beautiful memory.
He is the Eddie Haskell of little boys! Two summers ago he had swimming lessons and the instructor kept telling him to pay attention and stop splashing. She seemed to be getting a little irritated with him. He then swam over to her and said “I love you Swim Teacher.” She never once said anything to him again and on his little report card she wrote “Bency is one awesome kid!” I always think about that because he really deserved to be yelled at more but somehow he had wrapped her around his little finger with those simple words!
Uh-oh……I am picturing some teen-age years with mom not having a chance!
enjoy every minute….the teenage years are coming
Oh, I know!!! I’m sure I’ll be wishing for someone to just be flipping on the couch!
yep!!
A true gentleman. You are making it really hard for Bency’s future wife. He can only hope his wife will be a fraction of the mother you are. What a great role model you are, Melissa!
Thank you Anka! I think boys naturally put their moms on a pedestal…especially at 5! They don’t have many other people to compare us to! I think if he finds a wife that doesn’t make him eat his vegetables he will be head over heels!
OK Bency is an ‘old soul’ he HAS been here before, how proud you must be xxxx
You’re right! He must be! He definitely knows how to warm a girl’s heart….some older men don’t even know how to do that!!
Oh so agree there Mel…one to watch as the years pass that little one
Simply beautiful
Thank you so much!
aww so sweet, and your hubbys comment made me giggle! xxx
Yes, I must go comfort my husband’s bruised ego!!!! haha!!
What a beautiful story, it made my heart melt. I love the picture of the two of you. He will always have that to look back at as he gets older. If all children had the love you and Alex show your children, I’m positive the world would be a better place…
Oh, thank you so much Pam! That is very sweet!
Just reading this made MY heart flip! What a cutie pie. For serious. And that photo just makes me feel all squishy inside. MEEP! <3
haha!! Thank you so much! He can be a pretty cool kiddo!
Great! Love your writing!
Thank you so much! I really appreciate it!
Poor thing, ours too is the same it was too cold to play with him outside, my parents came over today and took him outside to play and he didn’t want to come back inside, he was crying and yelling at my dad! ha!ha! , they had to take him over to their place now! how, I can’t wait for my Nathan to tell me he loves me, I find those words so beautiful; I hope to hear them soon! Your Bency is so handsome in the picture! You lucky mommy!
Thanks Ingrid! That is so funny about your son! I’m sure he tells you he loves you in plenty of other ways besides with his words…wiping his nose on your shirt…handing you pretend cookies….letting you know he has a dirty diaper….haha!!! All those sweet smiles lets you know he loves you!
Oh my gosh, reading this made my heart do sommersaults! How incredibly sweet!!! I love the picture of you two, too. Savor those precious moments!!
Thank you Christiana!! I am definitely savoring that one! It was a great moment!
So sweet! Kids can really tug at our hearts!
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