These are letters to Jack, my son, and my daughter, Audrey. You have given me the gift of motherhood. This is just a little gift back. I want to share my experiences with you of your childhood from my perspective of watching you grow - of being your Mom.

Monday, August 17, 2009

Is this an Abbott and Costello routine?

Jack,

Tonight was very interesting. Daddy is travelling and we spent a whole day together at the Magic House and then meeting Audrey's teacher.

I was going to put Audrey down for the night which is usually when you need me - when I'm trying to get her to sleep.

"Mommmeeee! Can I have a snack?"
"In a minute!"
"WHAT?"
"IN A MINUTE!"
"CAN I HAVE A BANANA?"
(sigh)
"YES! BRING IT TO ME AND I'LL OPEN IT OKAY?"
"'KAY, MOMMY!"
(return to what I'm doing)
*****
(minutes later I hear grunting)
"Mommy - this Pineapple is SOOOOOO heavy!"
"OH! Don't bring the Pinapple, Jack! Bring the banana and I'll open it for you!"
"Okay."
"Do you have the banana?"
"Yes. I have one for me and two for you."
Sound of dropping and grunting.
I head to the top of the stairs and my jaw is hanging open as I watch you climbing the stairs carrying six bananas in your hands and dropping them on each step. Every time you bent over to pick up another one that fell, another slipped out.
(exasperated)"Jack! Just pick one banana and bring it to me. I don't want one."
"You don't want one? Do you want one in five minutes?"
"No. I'll get those, just pick one and bring it to me."
(Audrey is screaming in my arms by now)
"Okay, Mommy. This one looks good!"
As you proudly hold out the chosen banana and step forward towards me, you step directly on another banana and I am so amazed and frustrated by it all that it suddenly becomes funny. I give you the banana and go back to finish resettling Audrey for bed. When I come back down, you have picked the bananas off the floor, but there are still pineapple leaves everywhere and I can only imagine the parts of the story that I missed.

You are so great!

Love,

Mommy

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Bridget,
how wonderful that you can laugh over the smashed banana. Its just a banana. I would have not kept the perspective when I was a young mom. Good for you.
You are such a good mom.
Love, mom