Questions

While singing August my favorite goodnight song, “Mommy loves you” (Also known as “Beautiful Girl” from Slugs, Bugs and Lullibies.

Why do you sing: “The angels are keeping / So cry no more”?

“Because the song says God sent some angels to watch over you so you don’t have to be afraid.”

“Why do you say: ‘But when your tooth aches or your heart breaks’? What is when your heart breaks?”

“Your heart breaks when you feel really sad inside and you need me to hug you.”

While singing “Great is Thy Faithfulness”

“What are mercies?”

“They’re gifts you don’t deserve that God gives you. Like I don’t deserve sweet boys like you and T-Rexy and I don’t deserve Daddy but God gave you to me.”

“T-Rexy’s a gift I don’t deserve,” he says as he kicks his legs all around the bed, narrowly missing Brooks’ (aka T-Rexy’s) head (I’m nursing him while I put August to sleep). “You’re a gift I don’t deserve, Mommy.”

While making cupcakes with me while the wind blows outside and we listen to music inside:

“Look! The trees are singing too!”

While I pray for him last night, asking God to make him and his brother men of mercy and justice.

 “Mommy, what is justice?”

“It’s when you work hard to make things are sad or wrong into something good and right.”

The truth? This is a difficult stage. There’s a reason I’m reading books on how to raise strong-willed children. But I hope I never tire of explaining my words or my prayers for this boy. He is full of questions and I hope he stays that way…