At least once a week Whit’s teacher finds me at school drop-off- or pick-up to relate the latest story of his hilarity. The one she told me last week was about courage. They had been talking about courage, and what it means, and as you can see above Whit decided that courage is making acquaintances. I am also, as a sideline, totally charmed by this art, complete with spidery “W” signature. I’m not altogether surprised that this was his definition of courage, because for all of his feisty humor and attitude, my son is actually quite shy with strangers and struggles mightily with the eye contact I really think he ought to be making with other people when they speak to him (GRRRR).
Anyway, later that day Whit and his teacher were on some errand in the school building, when they met another adult that Whit did not know. She prompted Whit to say hello and introduce himself, which he did. As they walked back to the classroom, Whit apparently tugged at his teacher’s arm and looked at up her with very serious eyes. “Christina?” he asked, and she nodded. “That took a lot of courage,” he said with a dramatic sigh.
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Last week Whit found a safety pin in the kitchen. I don’t know why it was there, but that’s just the kind of mom I am! (see also: falling down stairs, tumbling out of shopping carts, and being bitten by dogs). Anyway, he was playing with it, clearly fascinated, and asked me what this marvelous device was called.
“A safety pin,” I said. He was silent and kept clicking it open and shut. About thirty minutes later we were donning coats, hats, mittens (the joy of the morning routine in the New England winter can’t be overstated) and Whit was still clutching the safety pin.
“Whit, you aren’t taking that to school,” I said to him.
“Why not?”
“Because it’s dangerous.”
“Then why is it called a safety pin?”
Hmmm. Good question, no?
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Yesterday morning as we sat at school waiting for the classrooms to open, I had Grace on one side of me and Whit on the other. Absently, I said, “What do you guys want to talk about?”
“Let’s talk about our feelings,” Whit said firmly.
I was impressed. I felt tears prick my eyes. My little sensitive soul. Moments later he was bouncing my foot with his, with increasing vigor, basically kicking my sneaker with his boot.
“Whit! What are you doing?” I asked him.
“What do you feel, Mummy? Do you feel pain?”
Ah. Those feelings are the ones he wanted to talk about.
Lindsey – This is precious! I love it.
I’m with Whit–meeting new people is darn scary! I love the drawing.
And don’t feel bad about the safety pin; my Mama had a sewing room growing up. We would often play in there while Mama worked on her latest project and one day Mama saw my sister swallow a small safety pin. She took her into the E.R., they x-rayed my sister’s stomach and found 3 safety pins, 4 snaps and a button in there! Mama was so embarrassed!
He is too funny, at least he knows the word feelings 🙂 That’s a start!
Whit spoke to my soul. Yes! Courage is meeting someone new. I need to remember this next time I wait in my car for 10 minutes getting up the courage to go into a new writing group.
Love it! Love it all. And again, I think Hannah would get along quite well with Whit.
Little wise guy. Literally. Love this post. Love it. Especially the feelings bit at the end.
Whit is very wise
courageous
and clever
those were fun to read
“What do you FEEL?” Whit asks. He knows that you can answer, that you are full of your own feelings. He knows that any feeling he could possibly have will be embraced by your tender, shining-shook-foil heart – his whole world; a beautiful, safe, expansive, courageous world.
Your children are amazing, Lindsey. I am not surprised. And still, the beauty is staggering.