My Day With Drew

Today was an all-around good day between my son and me. It started out at Wal-Mart.  (Yes, this might be the only time I'd ever be able to make that statement.)  I took the kids with me to my biweekly grocery shopping trip.  Now that Alyssa is too big for the sling, it has become quite interesting considering I've never let Drew "loose" during my shopping trips. The past few times he has stayed in the cart (where he's not supposed to) until too many groceries force him out, and then it becomes a struggle to maintain control.

On the way in, he saw a kids' Batman car and asked to ride in it. I said yes, only if he's good during Wal-Mart. I didn't think another thing about it because I knew he wouldn't be good. (I know, that's terrible of me.)  However, the whole shopping trip he was as good as good can be. When it came time for him to hop out of the cart, earlier than normal, he stayed right next to the cart, didn't put anything in extra, and even got items for me.  I was amazed at how well-behaved my child was.  Then after we checked out, he reminded me of the true motivation for his good behavior (why didn't I see this coming?).  He said, oh so sweetly, "Mommy, was I good?"  It dawned on me.  Then I had to find a couple of quarters.

Moral of the story: Drew knows how to behave.  Yes, he may convince me that he wants to "do good" but the bad in him keeps winning, but now I KNOW that he has the capacity to behave.  Two weeks shy of his fifth birthday, that's encouraging.

We also had the neatest conversations today.  This morning when I was making him pancakes, I thought I'd put a "plug" in for healthy foods. I said, "You know what was so cool that God did? He created the best foods for you to be these beautiful colors. Like strawberries and blueberries." (Which we were putting in his pancakes.)  Later, I reminded him of the strawberries and blueberries in his pancakes, and he said, "But vegetables are the best for you. Like Daniel ate vegetables for 10 days."  Knowing he was studying Daniel in Sunday School but completely unaware he was soaking it in, I asked, "And what happened at the end of the 10 days?" He said, "Daniel and his friends were healthier than everybody." Score one for his Sunday School teachers!  Then I said, "Yes, and fruits are healthy, too." That was when he proceeded to tell me how fruits were not healthy like vegetables were.  Oh well, guess I'll take what I can get.

We also had a conversation about marriage. He made an anniversary card for Daddy, and I asked him if he knew what that meant (I wanted him to know that his Daddy wasn't the only one celebrating an anniversary next week!). He said, "When you get married, you live together?" I said, "Yes, before I got married I was part of Meme & Granddaddy's family, and Daddy was part of Nama & Papaw's family. But when we got married your daddy and I made our own family and then had you and Alyssa." Then he went a completely different direction and said, "Meme is your mommy, but who is Meme's mommy?"  I said, "Meme's mommy went to heaven before I was born. Her name was Ruth."  Then he excitedly said, "I know about Ruth! Ruth in the Bible, like we studied in the Centipedes class!"  (Score one for the Mother's Day Out teachers!)  I explained she was named after that Ruth but they aren't the same people. Then he proceeded to tell me how Ruth and Papaw would get married because they're both in heaven and are the only ones there.  Gotta love the logic of a preschooler.

Maybe it's these more in-depth conversations with Drew. Or maybe it's because he's about to turn 5. Or maybe it's because Alyssa is a constant reminder of what Drew used to be. But he's growing up. He's becoming a little boy.

I'm treasuring all these things in my heart. And I know if I don't write them down I'll forget them, which is why I'm blogging them. I type a whole lot faster than I write. :)