Friday, March 26, 2010

Monkey, Growing Up

Every night when I tuck him into bed Monkey and I do the same routine. He hops into bed and I read him a story. We say prayers, I give him a hug and a kiss, and then I give him a smushy. A smushy is a big giant hug that turns into a tickle and ends in a kiss. I have been giving him smushies every single night of his life since he was 2 years old and we invented them-if I got distracted and tried to leave without a smushy he would cry until I went back for them. It's just our thing.

Tonight though was different. He is really getting into reading now, so he took The Cat in the Hat with him to bed. He was excited to read it (with the help of his Leap Pad system) so he rushed me through the story and prayers. No sooner did I say Amen then he grabbed up his book and opened it-then he looked up at me and said,

"Goodnight Mommy. I don't need any smushies."

Talk about a stab in the heart-he doesn't need any smushies! I'd be lying if I said my eyes didn't sting a little. I still made him give me a hug and kiss (as he will do, every night, until he leaves my home I don't care if he is 6, 16, or 26 SO THERE!) and he gave them, though he wiggled out of them as fast as he could. As I left his room he called out to me with his head still in his book,

" 'Night Mom!"

Mom?! What happened to Mommy? Ten seconds ago it was Mommy-why change now? Why change ever? I am not liking this-not at all. It reminds me that every day my baby needs me less and less and, someday, I won't be apart of his every day life. There will come a time when I will go for days (or, God forbid, longer) without seeing his smiling face, or listening to his laugh, or hearing the funny little stories he tells me.

I am going to be such a stalker when he grows up. Seriously-I already feel bad for his future wife. Who wants to have a mother in law who calls every day and begs for weekly (or bi-weekly, or tri-weekly or heck, nightly) dinners?

Apparently whoever decides to marry Monkey, that's who.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Ahh growing up sucks when it's ours doesn't it. But boy we were all ready to be adult when we were kids .. Now we get why our parents kept saying in time in time... enjoy this time you will never get it back lol

dusty earth mother said...

ouch. I have to admit, MY eyes stung a little at the "no smushie" request. Do you think his future wife would mind if you came over to give him the occasional smushie?

Meg said...

Maybe it's the gender difference, but my parents are STILL Mommy & Daddy. And I can't imagine going to bed without a hug & a kiss, and I'm only home occasionally!