“Why did the cow cross the road?” I asked.
Jon’s eyes momentarily glanced into mine, then he shrugged. I knew he wouldn’t reply and continued to the punchline.
“Because the chicken was on vacation.”
He grinned slowly at first, and as he thought about it began to chuckle.
I love it when we connect, when Jon actually responds to me with something besides annoyance and frustration. I’m thrilled when my son emerges from his own world, interested in interacting. It happens so rarely that I try to drop whatever I’m doing and soak up the joy of the moment.
Our communication would seem juvenile and insignificant to an outsider, Jon singing me a Disney song or repeating a phrase from a movie, but I know it’s huge.
Today, when he began to lose interest and turned to walk away, I tried to hang on to it a little longer. I started reading him jokes from a website.
“Why do fish live in salt water? Because pepper water makes them sneeze.”
Got a smile from that one and also this one, “Where do sheep go on vacation? To the Baaaaahaaaaamaaas!”
Then, “What do you a call a pig who knows Karate? A Pork Chop.”
Jon thought on that one for a few seconds and shook his head. He expelled a long hiss, sounding like, “Ghhhheee,” and said to himself, “that’s not funny,” frowned, then turned away.
Just like that. One joke, determined to be dumb, and it was all over. I tried reading more as he walked away but the connection was gone, just like a computer system that had suddenly shut down.
For fifteen minutes, my son wanted to “talk” to me today. It might not seem like much, actually it’s never enough.
But it was the best fifteen minutes of my day.
Diane thank you for showing us what your world is like. We are all on a different journey in this place we call life. You are such a good mother even tho Jon may not want but a few minutes with you. I know how you must cherish those few minutes. Thank you for you insight into the word of God. You my friend are a blessing to me. Love you.
Reading this made me smile. I shared the jokes with my 13 year old son. It made him chuckle. I plan to share it with my two girls when they get home from school. Thank you so much for sharing this precious moment.
Thanks so much for reading Darcy. Always happy to pass on a smile. We can never have too many of those!
I loved that Diane. It was great to see him connect with you for a moment. I love the lessons you get from him and I enjoy how you learn from them. I look forward to your posts.
Thanks Wendi. My connecting points with Jon are so precious. It’s nice to know that deep inside he still needs to seek out his crazy ole mom once in a while 🙂
Diane ,
I got tears in my eyes when I read this and smiled the same . Funny how some parents live to have that 15 minute connection with their child and others take for granted that they will do it later I am to busy .
Let me know the next time you go on an outing with Jon. I will come join you.
Night my Friend .
Wonderful.
Thanks Lenora 🙂
I get this. There’s nothing sweeter than a connection, even if it’s only for 15 minutes… Thanks for giving us a glimpse.
Yep, we are grateful for whatever we can glean from our kids! Thanks for reading and pray you get at least 15 minutes today and more! 🙂