Thursday, April 14, 2016

Park Hangs and Deep Thoughts

After a weekend full of snow and a couple days of rain – 
yesterday it finally felt like spring. In honor of the glorious sunshine, 
Max and I went to the park after dinner. 
It was a short trip because bedtime loomed around the corner…but 
it was wonderful just to have the ability to run 
over to the park and burn off some energy.
 
Being that we hadn’t been to this particular park in some months, 
I was surprised that Max basically didn’t need my help 
with really anything except the monkey bars. He was running all over, 
sliding down the slides, crawling through tunnels, and climbing up 
the tallest ladders.  He only wanted me to slide down the slide next to him ONE time.
 
 

Last year at the park, he needed a lot of assurance that 
we would be at the bottom waiting for him…especially on 
those bigger twisty slides. And I would hold my hands out and 
say “come on down, I’m here”.  I didn’t think about it then – 
the impact of those words. “I’m here.”  
I’m here not just to catch you…but to tuck you in. 
  And, help you on the potty. And kiss all your boo boo’s. 
And tug your jammies over your head at night. 
And play trains and push the swing and on and on.  
 
 

It’s funny how being a parent can make you so introspective. 
It's safe to say I never had a clue how much 
my parents were there. Sadly, until recently, I probably didn’t 
appreciate it as much either. But, man – all the driving me to school, 
helping with band uniforms, paying for flute lessons, 
dress shopping, and you know, basically everything that formed 
me into the responsible person I am today. 
It’s a lot. I totally get that now. My brain basically never shuts off. 
(Please tell me you’ve seen that meme comparing a 
woman’s brain to a computer with 100 tabs open?)
 Maybe the best promise I can make to Max is that if he falls – 
or rather when he falls – for as long as he’ll let me, 
I’ll still be at the bottom. Still giving it my all. 
Still loving him. Still believing in him.

xoxo 

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