Today we've been going through stuff. Lots of stuff. Most of it is stuff that we don't need anymore.
Take my son's shoes, for example. I opened a box, and there was a darling little pair of Winnie-the-Pooh shoes right there on top. I had to smile as I remembered our little boy proudly walking around in his big-boy shoes that had his favorite character on them. He also owned a Winnie-the-Pooh playset, and several of the stuffed animals. He insisted on watching Winnie-the-Pooh videos repeatedly. I liked them because they would hold his attention. For Halloween that year, he was Winnie-the-Pooh...
Well, anyway. I just had to show those shoes to him today. They were so sweet and brought back so many cute memories of him.
Today he is on the brink of teenagerdom...or else he's already entered it and I haven't quite caught on to this development yet. I showed him the cute little Pooh shoes that he used to wear, and he raised his eyebrow and said, "And you've kept these for how many years??"
Maybe the little Pooh shoes and the memories that come with them are things only a mother cherishes. The kid that wore them wants me to see him now for who he is now, not some little baby who, in his mind, is no longer here.
I have to admit that he has grown up a lot. For starters, he no longer likes Winnie-the-Pooh on his shoes.
I put the little shoes back in their box, and soon I was going through a pile of clothes that needed to be boxed up. They were my son's clothes, recently outgrown. On top of the pile was a pair of much-bigger-boy black Nikes that he'd worn up until a couple of weeks ago when he declared they were too small. On a whim, I tried them on. I wondered how long it would be before his feet (previously so tiny) matched mine in size.
I expected them to be something of a squeeze, but to my surprise they fit perfectly. I brought this pair of shoes to my formerly little boy and showed him how our feet were now very similar in size. Again he looked incredulous, but this time his face lit up: He's grown up so much. His mom's feet aren't bigger than his anymore. It was like a milestone he'd waited for since he wore the Pooh shoes.
He generously told me that I could keep the black Nikes, since they fit me so well. I think I just might do that.
7 comments:
They grow up so fast. I love looking at the little things I've saved and remembering the children when they were small. As for them getting taller than me and having bigger feet, I don't know who thinks it is cooler - them or me.
I like having someone I can swap shoes with. But he doesn't like mine so much.
Kids have no appreciation for our nostalga! I know it's said over and over again, but they sure do grow up fast. Five years ago I never thought I'd say it, now, my 13 year old wears bigger shoes than I do, she'll be taller than me in about six months and five years from now she'll be an adult. Freaky stuff.
Just wait, Katie--tomorrow he'll be graduating from high school, the next day he'll be off on his mission, and the next heading off to BYU! They're all traitors, I tell you! :)
Fun shoes! My oldest just started driving, but her shoes are still smaller than mine. Mine seemed to have grown since I started running...
Yes, they grow quickly, and my 11 year old son will outgrow my shoes faster than his two older sisters, I believe.
Yeah, he's going to be gone before I know it. That doesn't seem right, does it?
Only, Tami, I'd have to bet against him going off to BYU unless high school or his mission messes with his mind. He was young and impressionable while his dad was in grad school at the University of Utah. Go Utes!
My daughter wears a bigger shoe,than i wear..yet she is not that tall than me..she is only 12 yrs..I have all her old shoes..for me to wear.
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