Saturday, January 26, 2013

My Fledgling

I just sent my not-quite-three-year-old son off to the zoo with his grandparents.

To an outsider this will seem like nothing worth noting. But this is the very first time he will be off with someone other than me or my husband. The first time he will be having adventures and fun without me. The first time where if he needs a hug, or does something or learns something new, it won't be around me. The first time I won't be there to pick him up if he falls. Or give him his lunch. There will be stories to tell, but I will only be on the receiving end. When he comes back exhausted and excited and laughing, I will have to imagine what they did together. There was a moment of sadness in the car that was immediately extinguished by the thought of showing Grandmother and Pop Pops the sheep and goats.

He no longer needs to follow me upstairs when I go to hang laundry. Yesterday he stayed inside the gym instead of coming out with me to the car. He let his coach show him how to do a forward roll. He told me for the first time "I only like daddy, not mommy". My heart hurt a little but I was proud. He's pushing away, just a bit.

The house is quiet, but not his nap-time quiet where I'm shushing the dog. It's just me alone in my house quiet.

I picture his little fledgling wings unfurling a little. He's definitely exploring his place in this family and his world. Sometimes those elbows are sharp but we're learning together this new person he's becoming.

My astronaut

2 comments:

  1. Such an exciting moment!! Thanks for sharing--it's worth writing about, for sure! :)

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    1. It's those baby steps isn't it? For both of us!

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