My oldest son had been inquiring about his dad a lot lately (see post #324). It was often difficult to hear. I had spent so long working on myself to adjust to this life change; hearing his questions brought back many of the questions I had myself. I tried to be sensitive to his needs. When he asked for his dad, I tried to identify the next time he would see his dad and focus him on that. Our new life was still confusing for all of us, but I needed to be emotionally available and supportive to him. The questions continued. And each time, I tried to answer from a place of calm. And then the other day, I witnessed an exchange between my boys. My youngest was whining that he wanted daddy. Before I could address him, my oldest jumped in to comfort his brother.
You want daddy? He's not here right now, but it's okay. It's okay, honey.
I was taken back by the response and support he was now giving his younger brother. It wasn't the exact way I phrased it to him, but the message had gotten through. They were both longing for more from their dad, and I wasn't confident they would ever get it. But they had me. And more importantly, they had each other. The message I was sending had been received and it was now being passed on. And as I watched the two of them in that moment, I felt something flood my heart: pride.
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