We ate breakfast this morning at a local deli/diner with my brother- and father-in-law. In between mouthfuls of Mickey Mouse-shaped pancake, my just-shy-of-three-year-old said, “Daddy, I want to tell you a secret.” I obliged by leaning in close, and I heard his breath quicken slightly as he whispered:
“I love you the bestest ever.”
Can you believe there was a time I thought fatherhood wasn’t for me?
Talk about going out on a high note, 2007. Happy New Year, everybody.
Beautiful moment, Damian, I can relate. Parenting is a beautiful thing, and while I sit here holding my kids on New Year’s eve … I know there is no place that I’d rather be.
Thanks, Alec. It’s strange how parenthood changes one. It’s not something I’ve ever been able to articulate to non-parents, except thru anecdotes such as this.
Hope your little guy is on the mend – I wish him a speedy recovery.
Damian,
When my son switched from private school to public school, he had his first encounter with a child whose parents were going through a divorce.
He told me, very seriously, that “Dad would give me good protection, but I couldn’t live without you, Mom.”
My husband and I have been married for almost 35 years, so he never had to go through that trauma.
But I still remember his sweet and solemn statement these many years later.
diane
@diane That’s heartbreakingly touching; thank you for sharing. Amazing how these things – nothing more than kids’ earnest emotional expressions – stick with us for so long.