Saturday, March 8, 2008

The Mouth of My Babe

The rooster's uncle is visiting today. The rooster will be four in May, but he still wears diapers. While I changed him today, I asked one of my usual questions, "How much does mommy love you?" Then, his line should have been, "So big!" To which I am supposed to ask, "For how long?" And he says, "Forever." Today, though, the rooster would not play. He just looked right at me and said, "but I don't love you. I love Uncle Jason."

Okay, my logic knows the deal. I only winced and stopped breathing for a few moments before going about my business.

But he's repeated it a few times today. "I don't love you." My logic is bored with reminding me that these are just words. I sort of live and die by words, in some ways. And not always so much by logic. My heart is bruised.

Do you ever wonder if your child didn't love you, and you believed that, how any coping at all would be possible?

3 comments:

Joeymom said...

Your child loves you. He is learning about himself. The best answer when he says that is something o the effect of, "But I love YOU! AND Uncle Jason!" It may not occur to him that he can "love" two people at once. Get Uncle Jason in on the game.

We have a game here called "I Love You Two." It starts with "I love you" and someone responds "I love you, too." Then the reply is "I love you three." And you just keep counting, until someone gets tired and says, "Wow! That's a lot of loving!"

It is a game for two OR MORE players. ;)

redheadmomma said...

I distinctly remembering when I was five years old, I was just grasping the concept of "hate". And I was just playing with the word. I felt safe with my mom, so I went up to her and said, "I hate you", almost like I was trying a new sound or eating a new vegetable. I didn't mean it at all, I was just trying it out.

I hope this helps put your heart at rest. :)

redheadmomma said...

I distinctly remembering when I was five years old, I was just grasping the concept of "hate". And I was just playing with the word. I felt safe with my mom, so I went up to her and said, "I hate you", almost like I was trying a new sound or eating a new vegetable. I didn't mean it at all, I was just trying it out. Your kiddo, I bet, just said it precisely because he feels so safe with you.

I hope this helps put your heart at rest. :)