When William was a toddler, he mastered using manners to get what he wanted. He’d wander over, raise both of his hands like a referee signaling touchdown, and say, “May I please have some pick-me-up?”
This phrase has become part of our family lore, one of those stories that our twins love hearing over and over.
When William was four, we were at a dinner party with family friends, enjoying conversation with them and their worldly teen daughters.
“I want to go home,” William said, ignoring social conventions that adults know too well.
“William, that’s rude,” I said and smiled apologetically at our hosts while helping myself to more wine.
William paused and tried again. “May I please have some go-home-now?”
Fast forward two more years. William, now 6, stays awake long after his sister falls asleep. He reads, sings, and sighs, twisting in his blankets to find that magical comfy spot. Lately, he’s added escape artist to this nightly ritual. He grabs his duvet, commando crawls past our bedroom to avoid detection by my husband, tip toes down the stairs, and hides around the corner from where I sit under lamplight. I usually see his bare toes first.
“William?” I say.
“Hi Mom,” he says, stepping forward with his head down, pulling his duvet. “I can’t sleep.”
I look at him, trying to decide if I should send him back to his room or invite him to stay.
Usually, he makes the decision for me.
“May I please have a cuddle?” he asks. He knows that I can turn down neither good manners nor a cuddle.
I close my laptop, place it on the footstool, and make room for my boy, his blanket, and the finite number of cuddles I’m afraid lie ahead.
*
May I please have some comments?
I love it! My son has recently started using “no, thank you” to the same effect. As in, “I think it’s time to change your diaper now.” “No, thank you.” Or, “Should you use the potty now?” “No, thank you.” Etc. You can see we are making no progress on either the four-point-restraint-needed diaper changes or the use of toilet to eliminate said diaper changes.
I totally forgot about the “four-point-restraint” system. Brilliant.
Seriously, you almost made me cry tonight! Cuddles with my boy are precious too because I know that there will be a time (hopefully not too near in the future) that those cuddles will slow down and finally stop.
However, he has informed me that when he grows up, he will buy the house next door so he can cuddle me everyday.
I wonder how his wife will feel about that?
I told my mom I was going to build a house across the world. Now I’d like to do that, for real.
I love it!
I was just thinking tonight that my son will not always want to sleep with me, on me or near me and I should cherish this time even when I get a crick in my neck!
A sometimes-literal pain in the neck. 😉
What a sweetheart. It always crosses my mind how quickly time will pass and my daughter not only want me to cuddle her anymore but won’t even want me to be in the same vicinity as her.
I think of it every time she wakes me up in the middle of the night and I trudge into her room.
You’re a good woman if you can think of it in the middle of the night.
You can’t pass up the cuddling, good manners or not. I’m getting in as much as I can with my girls before this baby makes his grand entrance, and I’m going to have to say things like, “I have to change/feed/bathe/whatever the baby first.”
Yes, I’m sure the pregnancy makes you extra conscious of toddler time. A different sort of nesting.
Oh, those cuddles are difficult to turn down. What a beautiful story.
I, too, have been working on manners with my 2 1/2 year old. Yesterday she took off her soggy nighttime diaper and handed it to me saying, “Your welcome.” As she toddled off to attempt the potty, she turned and said, “Say thank you, Mommy.” Not wanting to dissuade her efforts at using good manners, I thanked her for handing me her urine-soaked diaper.
LOL. Love her.
Love the sound of that last line, particularly the finite number of cuddles I’m afraid lie ahead. If you can remind yourself of that in those moments, kudos to you. I need to remember that more often.
Excellent.
There are times it’s really hard to remember that…
I love it. I couldn’t resist good manners and a cuddle either. These are moments that go away too quickly. You will be so thankful for the memories!
True enough! 🙂
I wish I could get some pick-me-up sometimes. Sadly, no one’s willing anymore. Sigh.
You are so right: pick-me-up would be great!
Great post. Remember the sweet stuff. Then when they turn into dragons for a couple years ask them, “Can I please have some sweet child back?”