a (sad or funny?) story

ray likes to distract me at bedtime.  he’s pretty good at getting away with “one more little thing” about 50 times when it’s past his bedtime. 

tonight was no exception, but i wasn’t in the mood.  so when he came downstairs with a “gift” for me, i sent him right back to bed…without acknowledging his recycled gift.  and i felt good about that decision.  about sticking firm to not getting sucked in to his cute little games.

…until i went upstairs to tuck him in and he was quietly sobbing in his bed.  i asked him what was wrong.  he was so upset that i couldn’t understand a word he said.  but i did get pretty strongly that it was about this very special gift that he had gone to all the trouble to get out of bed and bring downstairs to me. 

and i felt like a loser mom.  my heart sank as he slowly calmed himself down and told me that the little bag he had just brought down just for me held “all of his most special things.”  and he wanted to give them to me because he loved me so much. 

ouch. 

i tried to dig myself out of it by telling him how much i appreciated it and that i hadn’t realized he had really made this special gift just for me.  i reassured him that i would go back downstairs and open it and keep whatever was inside it.

to which he started sobbing all over again. 

and i told him how sorry i was that i dismissed it so quickly initially and then reassured him how much i appreciated his gift and how much i would love it.  and asked him why he was still so upset.

“i’m just so sad because i just gave you all my favorite things!!  and now i don’t have them anymore!”  sob.  sob. 

i’m not sure whether to laugh or cry. 

things inside his gift: 

 

several shells, rocks, Savannah’s “S” charm, a marble, and a heart-shaped stone.

it appears i’ll be re-gifting them tomorrow.