It’s been a wonderful weekend so far, to say the least…the provider of our home decided to take time off for a much needed mini family vacation! Yesterday marked the much anticipated first day of play and OHHH BOY, did we pack it full of memories! Even Chloe left her print on the day by abandoning all floatational assistance (including ME!!) and swimming like a dolphin discovering the great blue ocean…be still my heart! Ah, but even a vacationer needs to eat, and what better place to eat than a kids-eat-free hot spot!!! Insert cheers from mom and dad… In spite of all the great fun and cheering from over half the family, one little “I” in the back seat decided it was a disastrous idea of a place to eat, seeing as how his “heart had been set on pizza” and this other location would “ruin EVERYTHING”!! …and then it began…funny how complaining just leads to more complaining and all the fun of the past 8 hours fades to nothing in the blink of an eye…temper, temper, temper!
*SIGH* Even a vacationing parent can’t let a temper tantrum go unnoticed, especially when there is kicking involved; so the little “I”, who had previously been determined to eat his pizza, ended up with no supper at all. ugh. Cue the tears…buckets and buckets of tears…and apologies….and desperate promises… For the next few semi-quiet minutes, we continued to head toward our destination with our four little “I’s” in the back, not realizing that one of them was making a very important transition to a new letter…
When we arrived, Brent and the girls eagerly jumped out of the van, having worked up a delightful appetite, and walked right in. Being the more in-tune of the parents, as moms often are, I expected a slower approach from one of the two remaining “I’s”…but not from both… I peered around the backseat to see what would hold up the littlest and was stopped short by the sight of big tears running down the cheeks of little Devon… Cautiously, I asked him what was wrong (you see, many times he finds himself on the end his brother’s angry fist). Brokenly sucking in air, he took some time to finally be able to speak…”I just don’t want Ian to not be able to eat…can he please eat my food instead?” One of my “I’s” had just become a “U”. I was without words for a bit. I had just witnessed the truest form of love take place between the two that I would have never expected…
It was a powerful moment; one of my proudest moments as a parent. Oh, I know it had absolutely nothing to do with Brent and I or our parenting skills. It was much greater than that… It had everything to do with a tender heart and the willingness of a six year old to change just one little letter…
I really have no words to express what I feel after reading this account……just tears. Love you honey and thank you so much for sharing this. You MUST keep this account you have just written because it is invaluable!