A Son Remembers ...

My son came into my room and jumped on my bed with me and we watched the story about Obama. What is intriguing about him (my son that is) is that he has become very political. Here is a boy who people (school) underestimate his intelligence as if he is his diagnosis (label). Funny thing about these teachers and aides is that I think Nick is smarter than some of them.

He not only knows a little about Obama and McCain, too, for that matter, but one day I was watching some old presidential footage dated over 40 years ago. He walked in the room and I told him that I was watching JFK making a speech and he said: "NO, that’s not JFK, that’s John F. Kennedy, MOM." (Oh, happy days!!)

Then the next footage came on and he told me that it was Robert Kennedy. (Ah, more happy days!!)

(Wow, you impress me Nick!—smile, smile)

Then asked me why it was in black and white: boy did I feel old. Nick’s not only in the generation of color television, but High Definition, color television …

(Oh, you depress me Nick—sigh, sigh)

Then he proceeded to tell me all about what happened to “them” using the names:

"Lee Harvey Oswald, Sirhan Sirhan, James Earl Ray"

(Oh, you scare me, Nick!)

So this is why you like politics, eh? It’s not about what they stand for, but, instead it’s about who shot them dead and why? I wonder if I told him who shot John Lennon, then would he be a newfound Beatles fan?

But I digressed, so we were hanging out and chatting and then I was thinking about when I used to sing him a lullaby or “his song” when he was a baby, toddler, and little boy: The song was “Somewhere Over The Rainbow;” and "The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow" was my song for Meghan (because she was colicky).

So I decided (some 10 years later) that I would sing that song: Somewhere Over The Rainbow” as a silly and kind of goofy, fun thing to do, and while he snuggled next to me (mind you I cannot hold a tune—I am totally and painfully tone deaf) and when I did start singing “his song” he hid his face under the covers. But not in a bad way, he was snuggling in while hiding and I knew that he was reminded of that old feeling of comfort, love, and safety; and enjoying those comforting few moments … just minus the bottle.

It was a mother and son moment, for sure. And moments like these will not be forgotten—as demonstrated. So go ahead and sing that lullaby to your 14, 15 and 20 years old, too--what the heck … they’ll love it just that same; a reminder of a safe place in a world full of Lee Harvey Oswalds, Sirhan Sirhans, and James Earl Rays.