I was reading in the living room over the weekend and M came down to join me. Not to read, mind you, but to literally join me in my chair. He pushed my iPad out of the way and climbed on to my lap facing me.
He gave me a crooked little smile and said “hi,” and then just sat there. He looked at me, I looked at him and we had one of those little moments. ‘This is my son,’ said my incredulous brain, ‘I am a parent of an almost 7 year old (to say nothing of his older brother.’
I had a series of memories flash in my head. His birth, his first words, taking his first steps, his first day of school, his first timeout at school and playing baseball. I don’t know what he was thinking about, he just stared at me while I ruminated. While C ran around upstairs, M just sat there, seeming content to just be in the moment.
His expression changed, not radically, but from his neutral smiling eyes to a look of puzzlement. I could tell something something profound was about to happen, here in our moment.
“Daddy,” he started, “why are your eyebrows turning white?”
And… the moment was over.