Before I was a mom, I would look at kids like they were cute little robots that couldn’t really do anything but make messes and squeal. My perception sure has changed now that I have two of those “robots.”
Robot? Anything but. In fact, they may be the antithesis. Please sleep, baby. No, thank you. I would rather coo, cry, or babble for an hour in the middle of the night. Brooks, clean up your toys. But, I’m going to play with them tomorrow, so why clean them up today? You see where this is going.
With that being said, there is also a beautiful bright side to this metaphor. Children, who look so innocent and babyish, are actually astute, mature, and oh so clever. Brooks can negotiate and debate to the point where I truly feel like I’ve been schemed by a three-year old. That same discerning and knowing personality comes in handy when it’s just the three of us all day.
With him being the older of my children, he has become my little buddy. We chat and sing along to my iPod as we’re running errands. Today, we were both singing at the top of our lungs “We are young” by Fun. He tells me if the baby is asleep, has spit up, or dropped the paci while I’m driving. He gets the dogs water and locks their kennels as I put the baby in the car seat. He asks me if I’m okay when my eyes are a little red-rimmed for one reason or another. He gives me random hugs.
Even though at times we’re at each others’ throats or at a stand off about some directive, what would I do without him? Now that I’m a stay-at-home mom, it’s nice to have a built-in little buddy, even if he is only three-feet tall and wears Thomas the Train undies.