Break it...to me, gently.....

Yesterday, it happened.
The beginning of the end…..
And, I’m pretty lucky -- because he let me down easy.
Not everyone gets the news broken so nicely to them.
It doesn’t make it any easier to swallow though.

At the end of my son’s soccer game, as we were walking back from the field to the Snack Shack where I was going to buy him whatever he wanted because he played so hard out there…I had my arm around his shoulder. And then as we were talking and walking, instinctively I grabbed his hand and he grabbed mine. Up ahead, a friend of his was walking – and my son yells out, “Hey Chris!”. Chris stops, looks at my son – glances at me, kind of smiles – and then waves.

My son waits a moment, and says to me “Um, so... you know – maybe you don’t need to hold my hand at the Soccer field anymore…” Immediately, I turn red --and I let his hand go, and said in my cheeriest voice, “Oh, I’m sorry! I don’t mean to embarrass you, I understand”…and he said “Well, in a parking lot, or the in the mall – it’s okay, but on the soccer field, I think I might look like a baby.” So I said, “Oh, absolutely – I totally understand.”

I had “that moment” with him, where suddenly I wasn’t his world. And though while I'm still "the best mom ever", I can't be everything at all times to him. He's my baby -- yet, not my baby any longer.

You know what really struck me the most – was that he was so nice to me about it. I know for fact, that the conversations don't generally go that nicely. I have many a "Mom" friend that has told me stories about their children being a little more -- disdainful in their growing up moments. I am well aware that our own moment could have gone in an entirely different manner. But, that whole interaction is my son in a nutshell…concerned about other's feelings; so he wanted to let me know that it was okay still, but just not everywhere.

So, a few minutes later – I thanked him.

Me: “Hey T, you know what – thanks for telling me about the whole hand thing in a nice way. Some kids aren’t that nice to their Mom when they get embarrassed a little. So really, thank you.”
T: “You aren’t sad, are you?”
Me: “No! I mean, well, yes a little but it’s part of you growing up – I’m proud of you for being thoughtful and kind when you said it to me. That really means alot. “
T: “Okay, as long as you aren’t sad.”

Of course, I was very sad….
But you know, I still get the parking lots – and busy places like the Mall.
What else could a Mom ask for?