Babies Make Everything Better

Have you ever had a crush on a boy?

Well. I do right now.

He’s ten. And he’s awesome.

Tonight my little hunk came home from soccer very upset. Mad. He’s the quiet mad type, the huff, kick the ground, red face- arrrhhhgggg. Kind of mad. So I had to pry a bit, but got to the chase. It was the same boy who has made more than half the basketball team quit as well. Sam plays with him there, and comes home with many of the same feelings. Most of the kids around here feel the same. Bullies are everywhere. Want to hear the real clincher? I’ll tell you…

Okay. I can’t. I just can’t write all of the mean things I would like to say. But this kid is very small and has a very long mullet. AND to make things worse! He’s a fellow American! We need Americans here! Be nice!!!

Alright. Enough. But here’s the part I want you all to be jealous of. Sorry girls, get in line, he’s mine.

Crying, “And then mom, “ said by Samuel while getting ready for his shower “and then he made fun…” sob, sob, sob, “he made fun of you.” Tears, tears, tears. The kind of crying that you can’t breathe during.

“What did he say honey,” I ask. “I can’t remember. But it was really mean.” I hug him, “Did he call me fat?” Because, as we know, nothing is worse than that. I kind can’t believe I even asked that. Bad mom.

“No. I don’t know what he said. But mom, it really hurt my feelings.” Hand on heart, “I love you so much. You’re the most wonderful mom, the only mom I have and he made fun of you. And it really hurt me.” He can hardly speak by now, that cough crying, booger nose, just sobbing. I was crying too.

Melt heart, here.

I did my best to comfort him and reassure him that he’s just an unhappy person who is trying to make himself feel better because no one likes him. And they don’t, poor kid. I reminded Sam what my dad always told me, “Pretend you’re a duck. Just let the water roll off of you. Let his words just roll off of you.” We talked about talking to Heavenly Father and asking for his advice, and how to help this boy soften his heart. Being a mom (and dad) is hard. I wanted to say, “You could pulverize that kid with one punch! Little twerp!” But I can’t. Especially to such a kind heart. He’s so innocent and protected from the world.

He told me he talked to his coach about it, who said, “People have been making fun of other people’s mothers forever. It’s no big deal.” Well, if you’re a mom and reading this, you might have to muster the restraint I did when he told me this. What a lousy thing to say. I was livid. “Peter. You call that coach RIGHT NOW, of I WILL!!”

We talked for a bit, and Peter reminded me, after I said to him my daily ‘go to’ phrase –“ I hate it here!,” that this is part of growing up. “Didn’t anyone ever make fun of your mom or dad?” NO! “Did they make fun of you?” Try not to cry at this question…yes. “He has to learn how to deal with this. We have to help him learn to deal with it.” And he’s right.

But he still has to call his coach, ‘cause that comment was just outright stupid!

My BigSam, as we like to call him, has to go to middle school in the fall. He can’t! He can’t! He can’t!

But he must.

“It was her last night in the nursery, for tomorrow, Wendy must grow up.” –from Peter Pan

I am seeing that these are the last nights before Samuel must grow up. That he is on the cusp of maturity, and stretching his wings, of pushing against the restraints of home. He is my first for all things. And I am beginning to see, that this is not a first I am going to like. Just earlier in the day he told me that he “never wants to grow up, I want to be a kid forever.” He was telling me that when Giddy is his age, he will be on a mission, and that he’ll miss Gid so much.

After he showered and came down for family prayers, he took Gideon from my arms and snuggled his head into the baby and squeezed him tight. “Babies make everything better, don’t they?” I ask. I could just see their two heads cuddled together, enough to see Sam shake his head up and down, and whisper a quiet “Uh huh.”