Three Things

A few nights ago, I was with Benjamin as he got ready for bed. He was having trouble focusing (i.e. He was frolicking around his room nekkid instead of getting in his pajamas), so I left the room for a minute, telling him he needed to be dressed by the time I returned, otherwise no stories.

When I got back to the room, I found him dressed in his pajamas, walking around his room talking quietly and counting on his fingers. "What are you counting?" I asked. "Three things Mommy," he replied. "There are three things I always need to remember: Work hard. (1 finger) Play hard. (2 fingers) And Always. (3 fingers) Believe in. (4 fingers) Myself! (5 fingers) That's FIVE things Mommy! Five things I always need to remember."

As if that wasn't enough, after he climbed into bed and we were done with stories, songs and prayer, I was kneeling at his bedside. He reached his little hand out, cupped my cheek, looked right into my eyes and said, "Don't worry Mommy, I will always breetect (protect) you. From predators." And he proceeded to go into great detail about situations where we might be in a field and a predator might come after me and how he would "breetect" me. 

Once again, I acknowledge to myself that it simply doesn't get any better.