The Love of a Little Boy

Nothing can compare to the love that we have for our children. They are our world, they are our reason for being, and they bring us so much joy (and a lot of laughter)! Parker is a funny boy...he's usually telling me I have a "squishy tushy, like a marsh mellow" or telling me to "stop singing!" because I'm too loud, or he's telling me a fact, such as, "Actually, Mom, this DS is for big boys not for moms," etc. Usually he is right about the things he is saying and you know it's just the innocence of a little kid that is coming out of his mouth. But, in between these (usually loud) comments, my little boy has learned how to show his love and kindness for others.

I first knew that Parker loved his parents, when he made a special "I love you" sign. When Parker was little, we were always teaching him signs- more, milk, etc. One of the signs we desperately wanted him to learn was "I love you." This is a hard one. We tried and tried and tried to teach him. One day, after showing him the "I love you" sign, Parker held his hand up with his middle finger behind his index finger, his thumb bent in slightly, and his pinky turned inward. We quickly caught on that this was Parker's way of saying "I love you." For as long as I can remember, we've been doing this with Parker, and no matter how much anyone else tries to replicate it, it's never quite right...except for Brandon and I. It's our special, "I love you" sign and we've even added in a little kiss in the tip of our fingers, when we're feeling extra loving.

And, while this sign is still our special way of showing love in our family, as a parent, you can't wait for your child to be able to tell you how much they love you. As Parker has grown up (from his sign language days), he learned how to say "I love you" and this is fun to hear, but often these three words get thrown around all day and they become something not quite as special as they should be. This is what this post is all about- hearing that one moment, when your child understands the meaning of love and uses it in a context that shows just how much they understand their love for you. And, this is where my story begins:

Parker and I were in the car, we were looking out the window and talking about the snow. Parker told me, "Mom, the snow means that it is Christmas."

Let me explain- In the weeks (and months) leading up to Andrew's birth and Christmas, we kept telling Parker that when it snows, that means it is Winter and Baby Andrew and Christmas will be here, so this is where he learned this.

I told Parker, "Actually, the snow came after Christmas...Christmas was when you got all of your new toys and opened all of your gifts." Parker replied, "Oh yeah, Mom, I am one lucky kid."

Another explanation- Before Christmas, we cleaned out our closets and the toys in the basement and we took it all to the Good Will. In doing this, we explained to Parker that some kids don't get very many toys for Christmas, so it is nice to share the toys we don't play with and the clothes we don't wear with them. When he asked me why, I told him that some boys just aren't as lucky as he is to have all of the new things that he has.

Back to the story- I told Parker, "Yep, you are a lucky boy." Parker then said something that I will never forget...Parker said, "Mom, do you know why I'm lucky?" I asked him why. Parker replied, "I'm lucky because I love you." Now sitting in the car, in the Wendy's drive thru, I start to get teary eyed because I know that Parker finally understands the meaning of the words "I love you."

Parker shows his love for his favorite people in many ways- with Andrew, he sneaks in kisses when he thinks no one is looking, with Brandon, it's when he asks him to play the "crazy game" with him, he shows his love for Bella when he snuggles her in his bed every night, he gets the biggest grin on his face when he sees his Aunts or his grandparents, and I know he loves me when his face lights up when I pick him up from Sherry's house or when we're playing a game and he is having fun, but when he said this to me the other night, my heart melted and I knew that the love of my little boy was special. I learned just how much the love of a little boy means to me....