He’s Right in Front of Me, But Sometimes I Miss My Son

One day last week I brought my teenager a surprise.

A whopper with cheese and a large Dr. Pepper to eat while he did his homework at school before evening basketball practice.

It maaaaay have been a little sneaky.

I maaaaaay have had an ulterior motive.

I maaaaaay have been using bribery to get one of his rare smiles and a ‘You’re the best, Mom!’

You see, those sweet tender moments are so few and far between anymore.

I miss them.

I miss HIM.

When he came to the car to get his basketball bag from the trunk, his eyes fell on the Burger King bag, and he lit up. “Is that for ME??”

I nodded as his face broke into a wide smile. Just like I knew it would.

Then he gave an enthusiastic, “Thanks! You’re the BEST, Mom!!” Just like I knew he’d say.

It used to be I made him light up.

And even though I reinforced rules and sent him to time-outs or scolded him for fighting with his brothers, he wanted nothing more than to snuggle next to me on the couch or play Legos together or read books at bedtime…always with a “Just a little bit longer, Mom.”