I have been away for two weeks, getting a concentrated dose of baby and toddler, helping my sister with her new little man. In the process I have perhaps endeared myself a little more with Nephew#1, and the name “ninny” has been firmly entrenched in the kids vocabulary. I don’t think I will ever escape it.
So I am home. Hubby of course missed me, just as much as I missed him. Of course there is the practical aspect …. single parenthood is not an easy path, and he struggled with a lot of things (mental note: the fridge needs cleaning out). But there is also the emotional aspect…. I got lots of cuddles, he watched telly with me last night (rather than being off on his computer) and other such *ahem* unmentionable things.
Naomi missed me ….. every spare second is spent talking at me at top volume (great when I have a post flight headache), and she seems thrilled I am home.
But most of all ….. Nathan has missed me. He has been super keen to talk to me about his games and tv shows, tell me about what he did at school for the last few weeks, along with a detailed discussion on the things dad did, that I don’t do (good and bad). LOL But along with that is the “presence” things ……. When he is talking to me, he stands closer, and rather than being focussed on the tv or computer, or just generally distracted, he is looking directly into my face (when you parent a teenager you get used to them talking to the floor constantly). Every time he looks at me, his face lights up, and if I say something he likes (ie: would you like a milk drink when I go to the shops), the sheer joy in his face is infectious.
Being loved that much is humbling, and kinda daunting. It makes me feel that I need to tread carefully in my parenting choices, and be just that little more gentle while handling this emerging adult. He really is a special boy ….. my son.
