Embracing my inner child

This weekend I embraced my "inner child" and had a blast. Friday night, my oldest pleaded me to leave the comfort of my notes and computer keyboard, and go outside to play. "Are you kidding?" It's 9:00 at night."

"Yeah, but there's no school tomorrow," he pointed out. "So pleeeeeeeeeaaaaase," he begged, managing to summon tears into his eyes.

He could win an Emmy with this performance, I thought. I could have tortured him by making him wait a few more minutes, but the look in his eyes was too pleading. But you weren't ready to stop writing yet, my pratical side whispered. I ignored it and instead smiled warmly at Seth.

"Okay, you win. Only for a minute though." A cold blast of air hit me in the face, jump-starting my senses as I stepped outdoors into the winter night. I took a deep breath and exhaled as I looked around, enjoying my surroundings. The lights in the town below twinkled merrily, and there was a contented hush in the neighborhood. A light wind caressed my cheek and rattled the dry native grasses nearby; giving off a parched earthy scent..

Seth and I played a joyful game of tag with the dog until we were breathless. "Whadda wanna do now?" Seth gasped.

I shrugged. "I dunno. You're calling the shots right now. What do you wanna do?"

"Spin in circles!"

I groaned inwardly. I knew what the outcome might be of that, and I didn't really relish saying hello to my supper on the ground. "Aw, come on Mommy. It'll be fun!" Mommy. It won't be too much longer till "Mommy" will sound too childish to him, and he'll want nothing more to do with me. I took a deep breath, and with my arms outstretched from my sides, I began to spin.

"Hey, wait for me!" Seth screeched. Together we twirled down the drive into the night, the hint of a moon the only light to guide us. The stars in the black velvet colored sky shimmered and danced as we twirled faster and faster. Finally, we collasped into two giggling, dizzy heaps on the lawn. I glanced over at Seth as he lay in the grass and stared at the sky. Chubby cheeks were disappearing, bring replaced by more manly chiseled facial features. A wave of sadness washed over me; my baby was becoming a man before my very eyes. We lay in the grass a few minutes more, talking and star-gazing. I didn't want the moment to end. I wanted to remember every expression he made, every thing he said. It became cooler as the hour grew later, and finally we went back inside. I was glade I had gone outside, and even more grateful to my son. For a few fleeting moments, he taught me how to be a child again.

Here's a great piece written by the late great Erma Bombeck