Skip to main content

the littlest


My son is the littlest.
He is a full head shorter than everyone else on his team.
We get hand me down bikes and clothes from my friend’s 3 year old ( we are almost 5).
He still has a pair of 18 month jeans that fit ( mostly we wear 3Ts though).
And the other day when I picked him up from school his whole class was lined up. And he was the shortest. Even compared to the girls.

I worry about this. Mostly about what will happen when he gets to junior high. Or when his little sister surpasses him (and she is well on her way, she must have gotten my dad’s tall genes).
But he doesn’t seem to know yet.
Yet.

Every few weeks or so he asks me to measure him against the door frame so he can see how much he is growing. The frame is filled with little sharpie marks and ages. More often than not when we stand against the door it is in fact time to make a new mark.
Progress in centimeters.
And just yesterday he told me that he was tall.
I didn’t have the heart to tell him that he wasn’t. And probably never would be.
To just get used to being short.

Lately I have reading this book ( that I’ll talk more about tomorrow) that has left me unsettled. Left me wanting for a bigger life than this small suburban one I am in.

A few months ago I almost went to Haiti.
Almost.

But for those days where I thought I might be going I was so excied.
This was BIG.
This was scary and uncomfortable and I couldn’t wait.
Because I feel like I have been living this small little life for a very long time and keep waiting for something big to happen.
Don’t get me wrong.
My life is ridiculously good.
But good and BIG aren’t the same thing.
Sometimes they are even mutually exclusive.

And the trip fell through and I went back to feeling small.
Living small.
Doing small things for my great big God.
And a little let down and disappointed that God still doesn’t have big things in store for me.
That I am still so scared to pursue the big on my own.

But maybe big doesn’t have to be across the globe.
Maybe something pretty big is sitting across from me as I type.
All 39 inches of him.

Comments

Emerald Devil said…
awww that was sweet. he is as big as his dreams and dont let him ever forget it! he will prob have a growth spurt before you know it! mine did.
I just found your blog through the UBP10 and I am astounded at YOU! You have a wonderful writer's "voice" and tell stories (even about dirty cars) that make me want to get you a cup of coffee, laugh and be best friends with you!
I am now a loyal follower.
Anonymous said…
Stopping from the UBP! It was wonderful to read about your life and visit your site.

I really wanted to be someone important when I grew up. Now man years later. I find that I am a 45 year old stay at home mom. I find that my guys see me as important everyday. I guess God knew exactly what I would need.
Anonymous said…
Wow. You know, he could really surprise you and shoot up one of these days. I grew 8 inches in a year and totally freaked my doc out. I was about 12. If that's not what God has planned for him, then he will be your little compact love bucket. ;) Only, I probably wouldn't monogram that on anything.
Unknown said…
Good things come in small packages! ;-) God's got a plan for everything...and even when we don't know it or appreciate it (sometimes) it's always what's best...and it's good that you're learning right alongside him!

Stopping in from the UBP!!
Upstatemamma said…
What an awesome post!! My son is little too - he is almost six and still wears size four. And my daughter (who is four years younger than him) is tall for her age. And while right now that does not matter I worry that when he is 15 and she is 11 she may be taller than him. And I think that would make him feel bad. Well, actually I worry that it will upset both of them. But my little guy sure has a super big personality that sort of makes up for his height.

Popular posts from this blog

multiple choice

As I write I am procturing a test ( yes on a Saturday, and no I am not getting paid for it.) The room is silent. The only noises I hear are pencils scratching on papers and pages turning. If I listen closely enough I swear I can hear their brains turning. I have always been a good test-taker. I would still regularly brag about my SAT scores if it wre socially appropriate to do so(or an actual indicator of anything meaningful). There is something comforting about multiple choice. (well as long as you don't have the crappy all of the above or none of the above choices...just the classic A, B, C, D variety). There are parameters. Multiple choice means you have options. The right answer is right in front of you, and all you have to do is find it. Even if you don't actually know which one the right answer is there are usually clues, it can be narrowed down or worked backwards. Even a blind guess is likely to be right 25% of the time. These aren't bad odds. All you have t...

Turning the question

My school has been sending me to some inquiry training. The “i” word has been thrown around since my education classes in college. It is one of those things that is really good as a concept but kind of hard to pull off in the classroom well. For lots of reasons. But the big one number is because teachers are reluctant to let go of the control. To let the kids loose with a concept and see where they end up. Let them discover, own it and share out all on their own. Without intervening. Then push them a little bit further and clear up any misconceptions that they are holding onto before they slip out your door. This is supposed to be the most meaningful way for a kid to learn. For them to discover rather than memorize. One of the other problems with inquiry and science is that kids have stopped learning how to ask questions. My son bombards me with whys all day long. Why are owls nocturnal? (which comes out a lot more like “not-turtles”) Why do I have to take a shower? Why ...

too little butter spread on too much bread

I think I'm quoting Bilbo Baggins...but am not sure. my husband could probably verify that for me. In other words I'm too thin. I've never been skinny. Well. I've never felt skinny. I look back at pictures in high school and I was totally skinny. I just thought I was fat. Now, I think I'm skinny enough until the doctor wants to weigh me and WRITE IT DOWN, or I have to try on swimsuits and then I know the truth.....I'm not skinny. Not even a little bit. But most of the time I can ignore that and eat another cupcake. So, as unskinny as I might be....... I am undoubtably way too thin. And have been for years. Spread so thin that everything in my life is kind of like eating at Golden Corral. I can do lots of things. Some of them I'm even ok at. But almost none of them are very good. And When I keep going....I end up getting sick. And I've gone on diets. I've cut back. And cut activities. But they always find their way back in. Like I miss play...