Awww...how sweet! You're back again! Hope you enjoy your visit with the Peapod Squad!
I knew it would happen. I just didn’t anticipate it happening at such a young age. One of my little peas has a broken heart. ALREADY.
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Split pulled a fast one on us one day last week. He claimed to have a tummy ache and said he couldn’t go to school. Because we’d had sickies running amok in our family days before that, I believed him. I kept him home. And then his acting ability failed him.
Split (after woofing down 2 pancakes): Can I have a snack? Like a cookie or something, please?
Me: That’s probably not a good idea if you have a tummy ache.
Split: I don’t have a tummy ache….umm…I mean…uhhh.
Me: Oh, really? Huh. How about that? What are you doing here instead of school then?
Split (quickly turning on his signature charm): Well, I just love you and Grandma so much and I wanted to spend a little time with you.
Me: Sure. And no. No cookie, you little stinker.
So when he told me he felt bad the next morning, I didn’t fall for his act.
But then he cried the next morning and insisted he couldn’t go to school. We fought the battle and I won. He hugged me much longer and harder than usual when we got to the front of the drop-off line and he dragged his heels all the way into the building. I felt guilty for leaving him like that.
This went on for a few mornings until Snap spilled the beans.
Snap: Mommy, my brother doesn’t want to go to school because M doesn’t like him anymore.
Split (enraged by the breach of brotherly trust): Don’t say that!!!! Stop talking about that!!!!
We talked for a while and he cried for a while. I had no idea a 4-year-old could “love” that deeply and be hurt so badly.
And I really struggled with how to handle a parenting situation for which I was unprepared. I worked hard to tune out the voice inside that wanted to scream “Good grief! She’s clearly an idiot if she doesn’t like you! Why waste time on a loser like that?”
Yeah, I know that’s TOTALLY inappropriate. But really? How could you not love Split? I mean. Come. On.
And while he seems to have moved on now (in just a couple of days…gotta’ love the resilience of a young heart), I can’t seem to shake the dread I feel at the thought of the heartbreaks to come.
Will it ever be appropriate for me to point out how foolish someone must be to not like one of my precious ones? And if not (as I suspect you scrooges are going to vote), what do I say? I thought I had another 10 years to worry about this thing…apparently not. Help!
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- To-Do List Revision
- Under Seige
- A Flaky Friday in February
- And Now the Reality Sets In
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