Mama, will you snuggle with me?
There are days like any mom where the idea of sitting on the couch, alone, doing nothing but watching Big Bang Theory is a life goal. It’s been a long day. You need to unwind. You need to chill out your brain so you can sleep.
The nighttime ritual for your child begins. Take a shower. Brush teeth. Don’t just sit in your bed in a towel covered puddle. Hugs. Songs. Routine.
Leonard and Sheldon are waiting for you on the flip side.
And then your son looks at you, eyes filled with hope, love and a need to feel like he’s still little enough for you to nurture and mother. He’s not too grown up is he?
Mama will you snuggle?
Sheldon will wait. Bedtime can wait, just a little while. As I lay down to snuggle with my growing-too-fast eleven year old boy, I realize how lucky I am in this moment. How running a hand over his hair soothes him, but it also one of so few times left ahead where just my touch will be enough. Every minute it seems he grows taller. Older. Deeper in voice. Every day is another notch toward him growing up.
But right now, tonight, we get to giggle. He’s having trouble letting go of his day, it turns out. Thoughts from school, from play, from people are invading his ability to shut his own brain down. And he needs me.
There is nothing quite like that moment, and yet it’s a moment so easily left behind. Pushed aside.
So we snuggled in. We talked about his day and we played a game that helped him put those thoughts into a box. Each thought was an object in his hand. He giggled every time I told him to drop the object in the box. He set the lid on it. Wrapped it in duct tape. (Amidst more giggles.) Then decided it needed another box to keep it all contained.
So he put that box in a suitcase in a shelf. And snuggled deeper. Breathed a little slower. Closed his eyes.
Together, we helped him close out his day. And it took longer than a few minutes. And those minutes created a moment I will never forget.
Bedtime can wait. And I look forward to the next night it needs to.
Credits: Photo by madalinlonut on pixabay