All Work and No Play…

Little Man is almost 5. I can’t believe it. I can clearly remember the day he was born. It was such a good day – I got to stop worrying about him getting here and start worrying about him being here. It was, oddly, a relief.

Over the past few years, I’ve gotten to know my Little Man and his very unique personality. My list of worries has changed with every year. I started simple – I worried if he would stop breathing one night. Then, as my parenting skills got more sophisticated, I worried about more complex things like whether he would walk in time to go to the next room at school. Yeh, I know … really big stuff.

One year, his school asked me to write a wish for him. It was one of the harder things that I’ve had to do. I don’t know why. I think I might be an overachiever – I guess I was concerned that the sentiment I wrote wouldn’t cover what I really wish for him. I couldn’t find the words. Time ran out and I ended up going with a single word. Happiness. I think it works.

So … as I said … Little Man is approaching 5. Now, my worries are a bit different. I worry about his future a lot. [Not sure I need to say this, but I am a worrier ... usually in silence, I think. Maybe not. Nevermind.]

Recently, Husband and I have noticed a pattern that we are, all at once, very proud of and a bit concerned about. You see, Little Man likes to work. He likes to learn about work. He prefers TV shows about work (most of the time). For him, work is play.

If I think about it, he’s always been a worker. I think it started as a way to be with Husband as much as humanly possible. Then, he discovered tools and that was it. Work was/is the IN thing.

There’s a story for every week. (… and if you stand still long enough, he’ll tell you everything you ever wanted to know. But, that’s another pattern for another time.)

If you ask him what he did when he went to visit his grandparent’s last month, you’ll get an earful about using weed-whackers, mowing the lawn, hauling stone, making waterfalls, using chainsaws, and raking leaves. He got up every morning and dragged his grandpa out do to as much yard work as they could accomplish in a day. Every morning. Every day.

Fast forward a few weeks and he’s up every weekend morning asking Husband what their jobs are going to be. He’s particularly interested in when they are going to mow the lawn – which he monitors daily so he can report when it needs attention. [He has his own tools and knows the routine. He always brings me flowers and warns me to stay inside with BK because it's too noisy and we'll get scared.]

All of this industriousness makes me smile. Sometimes I struggle not to giggle. He’s so serious. Such a Little Man. It’s so honest and sincere … and dang cute.

I know that this work ethic will serve him well – beyond the bonding that he’s doing with his father and his grandpa. It will help him be confident, secure, and successful.

I worry that he won’t fit in with other kids. Kids who would rather play video games or other inactive pursuits – or kids who enjoy sports. There’s no club in school for kids who like to mow the lawn. I worry that he will be too serious. I worry that he’ll grow up too fast.

Then, I hear him giggle at his sister or get excited about a snow globe or a train. I listen to him get silly as can be. Then, through the magic of a giggle, I realize that he’s not exactly all work and no play … and he’s certainly not a dull boy.

He’s who and what he is. He’s a delightful young man who has well-defined interests and a curiosity about life and how things work. He also loves deeply and is a caring and helpful soul. He’s my Little Man.

I will always worry about him. I’m his Mom for goodness sake. It would not be normal if I didn’t worry about him – particularly in this crazy world.

But, I have to say, that some 4 years later, my wish still holds. I want him to be happy … whatever happy is to him.