Sighing, the light air chases the whispy strands of hair that have been dancing around her face. She leans over her little one, one arm restraining him from twisting and turning, the other flying back and forth, wiping and folding, preparing to cover him back up. His "no, no, no's" finally morph into the screams she is much more familiar with, and he whips his body around. Those little legs, kicking. Those arms, punching the air.
Exasperated, she leans back, resting on the heels of her feet. Why is this such a battle? Who knew a fresh diaper would cause such strife? She allows the back of her hand to wipe the front of her brow, and pushes back her falling hair. Sigh. She's spent. Exhausted. It's the end of the day, she realizes. She just wants to give in.
She strains her neck, searching for her other half and gathers up the items covering the floor to hand over. Enter scene: her eldest son. The inquisitive three-year old looks quizzically at his tantrum-throwing brother on the floor, and then rests his eyes on her. He is holding a shiny, new gadget. Looks like a book light. Oh yes, most likely the one she had tucked away, hidden in a drawer, probably from her night stand.
She hears her husband, and returns to relinquish her noble duties. She has it all nearly bundled together and barely misses the growing light beside her; a brilliant star shining against the black of the night. The boy, under no obligation but his own, kneels down next to his little brother and offers him a chance at the shiny, metallic prize. The littlest hands reach it and just as immediately as the chaos began, the calm returns. Exhale.
Pausing the task at hand, she glances up to soak in his innocent, beautiful face. "Aw Cj, that was so nice. You are one, good, big brother! Thank you." His dad, kneels down, places his hands on his small shoulders and looks him square in the eye, "You. Are amazing." The toddler looks over at his parents, obviously unaware of his act of altruism until that moment. He starts, "well he just…" His tiny voice fades and he reaches up, his arms extending towards both mom and dad. Completely overcome by the unexpected reaction from his parents, the sweet little voice returns,
"I love you guys soooo much."
I wanted to capture an everyday moment that occurred earlier this evening… written for this week's writing prompt: Falling at Studio 30+
