In the span of about 12 hours, my son did two things that absolutely thrilled me.
The first one made me happy, but for selfish reasons. You see, I was sitting on my porcelain throne enjoying the only alone time a man ever gets when I reached for the toilet paper and was left grasping at air. I looked behind the toilet where MJ sometimes stashes a roll. Nothing. Then I peered into the nearby cabinet hoping there were a few tucked away. No such luck. MJ wasn’t home, Will was watching Mickey Mouse Club House and I realized I was officially stranded on the shitter.
Not wanting to do the pants-around-ankles-waddle-to-the-other-bathroom-for-a-roll-of-toilet-paper dance, I called out for Will. I wasn’t really expecting much but figured it was worth a shot.
He came over, opened the bathroom door and gave me a curious look. “Dada poop?” he asked. I confirmed that yes, Dada was indeed pooping. And then I said “Hey buddy, Dada needs some toilet paper. Can you get some from Mama & Dada’s bathroom?” I felt stupid even asking. The kid is 2. It’s like asking a monkey to do calculus or Tiger Woods to be faithful.
But surprisingly, Will turned and went into our bathroom. I saw the light flip on. I heard some rustling. And lo and behold the little guy came back with a roll of toilet paper and happily handed it over to me.
“Thank you big guy!! You’re so smart, what a good little helper you are buddy!” I said with genuine pride. Then I went to give him a big high five.
“No Dada. You wipe bum.”
He’s right. First thing’s first.
—————————————————————-
Last night I was feeling pretty out of it. Everything with the baby and the upcoming ultrasound has me really frazzled. I try to be strong and positive and pretend nothing is wrong for Will’s sake, but I was pretty sure it wasn’t working. And last night those feelings were confirmed.
Will asked me to lay down with him on our bed to watch the Wiggles. While Dorothy the Dinosaur was off cavorting with those four Australian douchebags, my mind wandered once again back to the baby. It seems like all I’m able to think about are the nightmare scenarios that await us on Tuesday. I try to get them out of my head but I can’t. At work, at home…it’s consuming me.
I have no idea what kind of face I was making but suddenly I realized Will was staring at me, looking very concerned. And that’s when he did something that nearly made my heart burst.
“Dada sad,” he said with concern in his voice and his eyes. Then he handed me his monkey. “Happy Dada, happy.”
He gave me his monkey — his most prized possession on Earth — because he knew I was sad and he wanted to cheer me up. I hugged that kid so tight I nearly strangled him. And I kissed him so much he had to push himself away from me while giggling. So much compassion from a kid who’s only 27 months old. When your child does something so selfless and kind, it just makes you feel so good and filled with so much pride. It’s indescribable what that gesture meant to me in that specific moment.
We’re going through an extraordinarily rough patch right now but as long as I have MJ, Will and that smelly ass monkey, I know it’ll eventually be OK no matter what.
Sounds like Will is a mighty bright and mighty sweet kid.
You an MJ hang in there. Uncertainty is the toughest thing.
Hold onto each other tight.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Aaron Gouveia. Aaron Gouveia said: Kids really are amazing & they keep you sane & bring you joy when you need it most. http://bit.ly/djIssf [...]
Thanks for the visual Aaron.
Kids are awesome when it comes to getting down to it.
You get left alone on the crapper? I get no peace anywhere now, but those great moments with our kids are what sustains us.
Right there with ya…was so happy when our little one grew up enough to “want to help”…now, well, almost four and still sweepng, dusting and loving it LMAO!
Yeah I know, wont last!
Kudos!
I love that boy! You guys are raising a fantastic kid!
How sweet–nothing awful about this boy! My mom, sister, and niece (Hailey) live in Louisiana and I’m in North Carolina. When Hailey was barely 3 my mom, who smoked her whole adult life, was put on a respirator and given a very grim prognosis. I was called home and devastated b/c I didn’t see it coming. I knew she had Emphasyma (sp?) but wasn’t prepared for a small cold to threaten her life. I remember crying alone outside of the hospital room, and when I finally got myself together I walked back to the waiting room so I could sit with Hailey while my sister visited Mom. Hailey took one look at me, handed me her favorite stuffed doggie, then wrapped her little arms around me and said, “Don’t worry everything will be okay.” And damned if she wasn’t right. We had a miracle recovery and Mom is still with us nearly 6yrs later. Her health is precarious but the doc said she probably wouldn’t even last another year IF she survived that round, so we are pretty grateful for every moment! Little kids are the best! Thanks for sharing these stories and good luck with the upcoming tests/ultrasound. You family continues to be in my thoughts. ~G
So adorable. Danielle did the same thing last week when I was crying (sans smelly monkey of course). It nearly tore my heart…I tried so hard to keep it together but I couldn’t be stronger no longer. It’s amazing what they make you feel, in a split second.
Will is a good boy:) Very smart and intuitive. I’m glad you appreciate what he brings to you. The small things sometimes are what get you through the big ones.
Thinking of all of you! Hug that stinky monkey!
Thank God for little children (and their monkeys) and their ability to make us happy when we are at our saddest. Your Will sounds like a wonderful little boy.
I’ve been reading your posts and know you are going through a rough time. I continue to keep you in my thoughts and prayers.
I assume those are the ‘hell yea’ moments parents sometimes mumble about that make the ability to put one foot in front of the other easier…. Those moments are truly a blessing.
I’m just now getting those from Misch (who is 5 by the way). FIVE f-ing years before that kindness and heart melting stuff came back but at least it is here now. Better late than never. Better late than never……
That is good stuff my man.
That’s some good stuff. Definitely worth writing about and sharing. Thanks.
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Amen, my friend. Amen.
Aaron, you don’t follow me on Twitter and my updates are protected, so I can’t @ you to answer your question about Red Sox game/are you an asshole. I just wanted to say that if your wife is okay with you going to the game then you are not an asshole. If it were me, I’d recognize that my husband is hurting and needs to go off and do something fun, completely unrelated to everything else that is daily life. In turn, I would hope to have an option like that for myself, too–maybe not for today as somebody needs to be with the child–but soon. My suggestion is that if she hasn’t been invited to do anything separate from you and Will recently, then encourage her to get out with some friends or even take the bull by the horns and plan something for her and a friend. I hope you have a good time today! ~G
For a minute there I was beginning to think you actually might LIKE THE WIGGLES… then you called them austrailian douchebags and everything was good with the world again.
The second story almost brought on tears. Wow.
Just wanted to let you know I have been thinking about you guys all day and I truly hope all is well! You are in my thoughts and prayers!
I’m so sorry. Go to the Christmas Tree Shop, buy a large amount of cheap dishes and smash the shit out of them. When you don’t have a target (aside from kctipton) willful destruction is a wonderful outlet.