My son is in love with his bunny. Baby Bunny Betsy, if you will. Today, for the first time in his life, he took a stuffed animal in the car and to the playground. He held on tight to her while they climbed and went down the twisty slide or while steering the car or whatever adventure was on tap. This is big for my boy as he has never really attached to one object.
The past four or five days, Bunny is where it is at. He will tell me that she is crying, then rush off to the rocking chair because rocking calms her. When he drinks water in bed while trying to fall asleep (which is often), he makes sure bunny has some too, “But not too much so she doesn’t pee in the bed.”
The best part of all of this was when he said this morning, “I’m a really great papa!” He said it over and over again, thrilled with the fact that he had made the connection between caring for something and being a parent. I was thrilled to see this blatant example of the empathic, nurturing boy we are raising. In that moment, I felt proud. One day, when he is holding his own child (way,way,way down the road), I will remind him of this early practice and of how he was meant for the role.
-Betsy
Turkey Baster and a Bottle of Wine 