Thursday, April 8, 2021

Have I Mentioned That I Love My Son?

 OMG! What a great surprise this morning to have received the text from my son asking me to "Come up stait!" YES...of course, I will come downstairs and let you into my house! I knew exactly what that text really said; it doesn't matter what the words were - - I speak "Reuben"!  I find it somewhat shocking when a parent, especially when a mother will say, "I don't understand a word he just said," when they are speaking about their own son's under the breath mumbling. What on God's green Earth do you mean you don't understand him? You made him! You've been listening to his jumbled mumbling for how many years, and you just "can't understand him"? What does that say about your listening and discernment skills, anyway? I stand here (actually, I'm sitting) and declare with open honesty, as God is my witness, I speak and understand Reuben (nearly) every time he speaks; be it to me, behind me, beside me, even over the phone when he'll let the thing hang to his side while he reaches to get his drink or the remote. However, he's still talking to me - - I, his mother, fully, and usually completely, understand my son's gibberish....unless of course I don't and have to ask him what the hell he just said. (Those times are very rare, I assure you.)

"Come up stait!" it read! That means my Baby Boy is waiting either in the parking lot of our complex, or he's at the front door (there is no doorbell and our unit is inside, so he has to text me to let me know he's there; otherwise, we'll go about our day and have no idea.) The FedEx guy should be so respectful and should also text me to ask me to meet them up stait - - or rather, downstairs. My son's texting skills mimic his speaking techniques at times. I don't know how that works, but it does. I could post what he writes if he didn't spell out the cuss words so articulately, but he does every time. When he was in the Army as a fledgling Private, he wrote to me and asked me to send him some red chopsticks. I did that. I always try to do what my son requests. About a week later, he called me and said, "Mom, I wanted red or cherry Chapstick," wow, Mom fail. I've laughed about it for years. 

Today he was hanging out with me because he had to run over to the Insurance Commission to take care of a little business; any excuse is a good excuse to see my firstborn. It also gave his siblings reason to attack him both physically (Laura went in for a brutal hugfest) and verbally, as the second he came into my house, my phone went off as if Caity had a radar pointed straight at her brother and knew where he was. It was eery, but it was pretty funny too. Her first words to him were, "You're not wearing those g*y boots, are you?" He was wearing his American boots, but why she doesn't like them is unknown, but with these three, they are always throwing out insults to one another, so you really don't know and can't tell when they're serious. His response was rude, and I can't post it - - makes me wonder if that's yet another Mom fail - - but I don't think so, I think the Army did most of that training - - and he rubbed off on Caity, so there you go, I'm free and clear; when I meet up with Jesus He won't necessarily hold me responsible....not necessarily, we'll see.  (Can I plead the 5th in Heaven?)

One thing that was really weird was that he sat down on my couch and was going to sync his phone to my WiFi. He attempted to do it, and my phone was pinged, asking me if I wanted to share it with him. Wow, I guess I didn't know that could or would happen -- 2021 is a very scary place to live, isn't it? At least I have the comfort of knowing that if someone wants to use it, they have to ask first. Reuben and Laura spent the next few minutes bitching and complaining about and to each other about Caity. She called back (again, radar) and began defending herself as she assumed that in her absence, she may be the topic of their conversation. I was privileged to have been able to make him a cup of coffee, give him a few dates to eat, let him try some new chocolate I had purchased, and let him take a spin on my vibration plate - - so I could listen to him mumble under his breathe about how much money I had wasted on it, but he liked the way it made him sound - - it's the little things.

After a few more minutes, hugs, kisses, and exchanges of rudeness between his sisters and himself, my Baby Boy had to go, and I guess we did too. Surprises are great, but it wasn't planned, and we had an appointment to meet.  I love a day, a morning, any moment whatsoever when I can see my son and give him a big hug or two, or six. He's good for that. His best friend Jonathan lives about a block from me, and as I drove Laura to her appointment, we could see Reuben's truck in Jon's drive. That's another good feeling for a mom....my boys laughing and talking about life! I really am a sentimental moron, but better to be one than to have never known true love.  God knew exactly what a woman truly needed; He gave her baby. In my case, He gave me three. 



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