"You have to be ready to listen whenever your kids are ready to talk".
I am not sure when or where I heard this, but even though I wasn't a parent at the time it rang true and I have always remembered it.
A few nights ago was one of those times. Ethan wanted to talk. He talked. And talked. He also listened. And talked some more. I think I was in his room for over an hour. Usually when I tuck the kids in I am itching to get on with my night and whatever I need to do. But it was too sweet a moment to miss out on.
We talked about prison and how you get there. Ethan is a very cautious child and wanted to make sure he wasn't going there anytime soon. He asked what they did everyday in jail. He asked what they ate. Immediately after asking that he looked at me and said "Rotten eggs?"
He asked "If the world is made up of gas, how do we breathe?" I am not sure I even understood the question. I told him to ask Emry.
He wanted to know when he was going to be able to speak Spanish like his Dad.
He threw in a favorite joke of our families right now. "Why does Snoop Dogg like to drink soda?" Fo Fizzle.
(We've made up countless variations of this joke. Why does Snoop Dogg like to BBQ? Fo Sizzle. Why does Snoop Dogg carry an umbrella? Fo Drizzle...........etc. etc.)
He wanted to know if he could make Legos appear in Heaven.
He talked of us getting married someday. Yup, me & him.
He told me to remember that he would always love me more than I love him.
He told me how pretty I am. (see why I stayed there so long?)
When he was done he said "We sure did talk a long time".
Fo Shizzle!
He's precious Marie, a keeper fo shizzle...hahaha. No, seriously, lucky, lucky you. Too darling for words really, it's just heart felt. Love you,
ReplyDeleteShauna
Good thing he's a keeper cause I am stuck with him.
DeleteWhat a sweet boy! Moments like that are so powerful! And...I love the Snoop Dogg jokes :)
ReplyDeleteSuch a sweetheart....so touching. Bless you for being such a good mama!
ReplyDeleteOh yes - grab those moments when they come, because you can absolutely not force them. It's the same as they grow older too. My teens and I sometimes get into wonderful discussions in the car, standing on the driveway, or even sitting on the stairs.
ReplyDeleteI totally find this to be true. They only open up when they're good and ready and you have to seize those moments, tired, distracted, busy or whenever they come.
DeleteWhat a sweetie! Well worth the time!!!
ReplyDeleteI love nights like that!! Sometimes I could lay in bed and talk with my kids until they go to sleep. So cute
ReplyDeleteSo Sweet! I'm not a Snoop Dog fan, but that joke is hysterical. I remember doing that with "Taco Bell" one time. It got totally out of control!
ReplyDeleteI love these moments, too! Cory and I always joke that bedtime is the only time Lexie really wants to open up and talk and it's because she doesn't want to go to bed! :o) Little stinker! But either way, I enjoy those times a lot - no matter what we talk about.
ReplyDeleteYa'll have Snoop Dogg jokes?? You are way cooler than us....
Yeah with all the whole grain talk lately I felt the need to up my cool quotient. And sometimes yes, they do it just to keep you in their room a bit longer, but once in a while, thank goodness, it goes much deeper. They don't even want you to say anything necessarily, just listen.
DeleteOh my goodness- that is so sweet!! :)
ReplyDeleteIt is great that you stayed and heard him out. My 4 year old just wanted to chat last night because he wanted to know how babies get in your belly. When I told him they came from God. He asked if I had gone to Heaven to pick him out.
ReplyDeleteAmazing where the young mind goes.
Enjoy these times :)
Oh that is sweet.
DeleteSo sweet (:
ReplyDeleteAwwwww, that was the cutest little story and I'm so glad you took the time to spend with him. Plus your Snoop Dogg jokes are ca-racking me up completely!
ReplyDeleteBedtime does bring out the chatty goodness. I loved that. :)
Snoop Dogg is always good for a laugh. He goes against everything I believe but I love his belief in himself and his confidence to stand by his convictions (no matter how wrong).
DeleteVery cute.
ReplyDeleteNatalie loves to talk my ear off too.
The older they get, the less they "talk." Maybe the only thing I liked about teaching my boys to drive is that when they were behind the wheel they tended to be talkative for some reason. My oldest is going to Skype from college with us today; it's nice he'll still talk with us now and then:)
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine it because my kids are such chatterbox's, but I know that they tend to clam up when they are in their teenage years. I'll keep ya posted.
Deleteaw this is so sweet! I just posted on wednesday about why young boys should never go to bed on time :)
ReplyDeleteThat such a good reminder. I try and tune myself as soon as I feel my daughter wants to talk. She hasn't started forming sentences yet. But I still love to listen to her talk about her world of dinosaurs, dragons, Papa, mommy, book, bikit( biscuit), chokit( chocolate), car, bike, kite and Lola ( her doll); all in one sentence. Yup. :D
ReplyDeleteEthan is such a reader and knows every single word, but oh do I miss the days of chokit and bankie (blankie).
DeleteThat is SO adorable! :)
ReplyDeleteAh, what a sweetie. It's so interesting the questions youngsters come up with these days. You are Super Mom, for sure.
ReplyDeletehe must be mummy's boy.. it's just wonderful these random precious moments where they start talking, even if about prisons and shizzles and whatever. haha..:)
ReplyDeleteSo sweet.
ReplyDeletewhy does snoop dog go to the store at christmas? fo tizzle.
ReplyDeletei tried, ok?
It's better than some of the ones we came up with.
DeleteToo precious. Your kids sound awesome. Seriously.
ReplyDeleteAwww, thanks.
Deletesweet kid!!! a true jewel which cannot be traded with anything in the world... its nice to have such a bonding moment with the kids and to talk to them about things in life too... kids of today usually grow very fast and mature fast too and spending time with them is the most precious and beautiful gift parents could ever give them... someday i would love to have such a great and close relationship with my kids too... love love love your blog!!! following you now.. hope you could visit my blog too.. kisses!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much. Greetings to the Philippines!!
Deletehow sweet is this!!! your kids really do sound amazing! must be because of their super cool momma.
ReplyDeleteTheir mad skills in the kitchen come from me, the coolness comes from their Dad.
DeleteThat is so sweet. My 8 year old is a talker before bed, too. He'd stay up all night talking to me and asking questions if I let him. But only at bedtime. Any other time and he's too busy.
ReplyDeleteExactly, sometimes it's frustrating because I am exhausted but there are times you've just gotta go with it.
DeleteOh my gosh this is the cutest post ever!
ReplyDeleteI am usually itching to get on my with my night too - which starts the instant Maya is in bed! Best time of the day I tell you. I'm going to take this post to heart though - you really are such a good mom! And such a good role model for me.
ReplyDeleteHappy Sunday my friend!
Oh Ameena you teach me so much as well. I just soak it all in.
DeleteSuch a cute post! Putting Hannah to bed was so fun when she was little - all tucked under the covers reading a book - I miss that!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your Sunday Marie!
What a sweet boy with an amazing Mom!
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh...so so sweet. I would have stayed in there too and I'm not even his mom! ;)
ReplyDeleteAh, that is the cutest ever!! What a sweet inquisitive boy:) Patience sure is a virtue sometime agreed? Love that you shared this
ReplyDeleteThese little moments are priceless. Those Snoop Dogg jokes are hilarious. I would tell my kid them but I think they would fly right over her head.
ReplyDeleteYou guys talked about some good stuff there...from prison to how much he loves you, that is heart melting stuff. So good you blogged about it so you don't forget! Seriously, mom's and their boys have the most precious connection ever, don't they? Noah wants to marry me too...Rob thinks it is super creepy but I think it is adorable and sweet. Your little man is too precious Marie!!
ReplyDelete