In A Moment

I had a moment with the boy today.  One of those moments that brings tears to my eyes...that makes me feel proud, sad, thankful and old all in the span of about 10 seconds.  And, as I write the story, I'm reminded of why I blog.  Because without this blog, the moment would likely be lost in a lifetime of moments.  It would not be written down, I'd forget to share it and like a million other parent/child interactions, it would simply slip my mind.  I want to remember him today...his sweetness, his innocence and his perspective.

We were in the kitchen, he was pouring his cereal and I was making a cup of coffee.  I'm generally not a big talker in the morning and he generally is.  This has been a point of contention with us.  There have been many times that we've reconnected at the end of the day and he's been less than happy with me because, in my effort to speak as little as possible before 8:00 am, I've forgotten to tell him something really important.  Something like the final score of a game we were watching, or that there were bad storms that he slept through or that one of his favorites was voted off the island. 

Considering the big news of the previous evening and not wanting him to be the last to know about the USA finally locating OBL, I paused to plot how to broach the subject.

"Uhm...so something kind of big happened last night", I say.

This catches his interest.  He stops mid-crunch and responds with a mouthful, "What?"

"Well, you know who the terrorist OBL is, right?"  He nods his head.  "OK, well, the military finally located him and he was killed in a fire fight."

I can see his "wheels turning."  He looks confused, almost pained.  And then he says, "So it is kind of a good/bad thing?"

"Really, what makes you think so?", I ask.

"Well, he can't hurt anyone else, so I guess that is good.  But, his family will probably really miss him, so I guess that is bad.  I feel sorry for his parents and his children"

 My eyes begin to tear.  I know he's just a little boy and I pray he never experiences the pain of those involved in 9/11, but I hope he can retain this perspective on life.  A horrible man died yesterday.  His radical beliefs, fueled by his mental illness, caused irreparable damage to our world. 

And even though my boy's perspective is simple...it is right.  I was to celebrate him today...my boy...and his innocence because he thinks, feels, respects and loves.  I don't believe the terrorist that died yesterday did any of those things and I don't want to celebrate him.