Stop and Smell the Roses

Raising two boys is a challenge. Throw in my extreme sensitivity and my inability to appreciate wrestling and cars, and it’s hard sometimes to relate to them. Then, on the days I am feeling like I live in an alternate universe from them, they surprise me.

I was getting little T.Puzzle ready for bed. He was driving me bananas. He was dancing and hopping and then he was leaping and shouting. Very difficult to brush his teeth or get him on the potty. I kept warning him and threatening him. I was two seconds away from dropping the discipline hammer when, he stops. He sensed Mommy was about to lose it and stands completely still, grabs the sides of my face with his hands and plants a big, ol’ smooch on me. Ah, so maybe he isn’t totally oblivious to the mood states of others. Very promising (also could be construed as manipulation but for the sake of this story and my sanity, let’s pretend it’s because he inherited some of my extreme empathy). Maybe there is some common ground after all.

Then, as we were out to a family brunch at a fancy restaurant with the most amazing view of the ocean, Full Speed completely surprised me.

“Mom,” he said, “look at the color of the walls. They are blue like the ocean or the sky. They have fish and birds on them so it seems like we are outside at the beach.”

For a boy who is single-minded in his thought process, I thought this was pretty remarkable that he noticed the decor and put it together that is was supposed to represent the ocean.

Maybe all those times I make my boys stop and smell the roses might be making more of a mark than I realize. I’m not being metaphorical (as we all know, I enjoy a good metaphor), I actually make them stop and smell flowers. Here’s a pic of Full Speed doing just that (he’s two at the time of this pic).