Life Lessons

My dearest Jacob,
Yesterday I was beyond proud of you. Not little boy proud. Turning into a man proud. I caught a glimpse of the person you are, the boy you will be, and the man you are becoming.
Daily, we talk about little boy things: cars, trucks, numbers, colors, shapes, bodily functions, sharing, dancing, running, singing.
Weekly, we have the opportunity to talk about big boy things: making friends, saying no to strangers, private parts, listening to mommy, following the teacher's instructions.
But, every so often the opportunity presents itself to talk about your character. The type of person you want to be, making right choices, and sometimes not getting instant satisfaction.
The day started out wonderful with you off to preschool. We talked over breakfast about after your nap, you would play with the two little boys behind us, and their 3 little boy friends, one who is in your preschool class. I was very excited at the first opportunity for you to play with someone from your preschool class outside of the school setting.
After lunch, you took a nap, excited to wake up and go to your friends' house. When you woke up, we quickly got you dressed, combed your bedhead, talked about calling your friend's mommy "Mrs. XXX." We grabbed our bag and walked around the corner to our neighbor's house.
You rang the doorbell.
You knocked.
You rang the doorbell two more times.
I told you Mommy might have made a mistake and confused dates. You looked sad.
I went home and got a text that your friend was very sick and had to get to the doctor, and we would have to reschedule.
I explained to you, and at first, you were upset. You didn't whine or cry, you just told me how you were feeling and that you wanted to play with your friends.
I thought about how to make your afternoon better, and decided we could actually do something to show you how to be thoughtful, caring and considerate of your friends. How to be a good friend. How to do the right thing, even if it is a small gesture.
We took a brown lunch bag and put two Toy Story soup cans inside. We put a label on the outside saying "feel better soon."
Then, I let you sit on my lap and drive over to your friend's house (yes, you controlled the steering wheel, and were so happy!).
I opened the door, and you ran up the walk and put the bag on the front porch. You carefully fixed it in the middle of the door mat, and hopped back to the car.
I will never forget the look on your face when I turned around in the car before pulling off and told you how proud I was of you.
How it was hard to understand that we couldn't play, but sometimes your friends get sick, and to be a good friend, it is nice to do things for others and let them know you care about how they are feeling. That you took the time to show them you care and hope they get better soon. I told you not many three year olds would not whine or throw a fit about not getting to play with their friends. Jacob, you were such a wonderful example of how to turn a bad situation into a positive. I was beyond proud of how you handled yourself, and how you were able to explain back to me why you were being a good friend. You talked about giving soup to your friends all night, and into the next morning. You showed pure joy in leaving soup for your friend. You never even once cared we took the soup out of our own pantry...soup that was purchased for you, and you picked it out yourself.
And, then you broke my heart into a million pieces and wrapped me around you finger.
You told me, "You can always count on me, Mommy."
Yes, Jacob, I can definitely always count on you.
You are wonderful, bright, energetic, and wise beyond your years.
I caught a glimpse yesterday of what a wonderful man you are becoming, and the path you are taking in making the right choices, caring about others, and knowing you are making a difference in other people's lives.
I am beyond proud of you for showing me your little personality in a big way.
I love you more than jelly on toast, with a hippopotamus on top, with a bird on his back and fish cleaning his teeth. (We say this to each other before bed EVERY day).
Love always,
Mommy
P.S. You get to go to the park with all of these boys next week. You more than deserve a day to play.