Baby Butterfly

Tonight I did bedtime with Flik. This is usually a Daddy role, but Daddy was working hard on finishing up a landscaping project and was too caked in dirt to be available for bedtime. Flik is not usually a fan on my stepping in for bedtime; he has a favorite and he is not shy about letting us know his preference.

Ever since his baby brother was born, Flik insists on being wrapped up "like a baby" after his bath and carried to his room. Tonight, with just the two of us, I suggested that maybe instead of a baby, we pretend he's a caterpillar. We could wrap him up in his cocoon and he could come out later as a butterfly. He was skeptical at first, but decided to try it out. I took him out of the tub, dried him off, wrapped him in his towel/cocoon, carried him to his room, and placed him on his bed. I then unwrapped him and "oohed" at the beautiful butterfly. Flik then pretended to be a "baby butterfly" who, of course, couldn't talk. He would just lie there looking sad and pretend talk with no sound coming out (because butterflies can't talk). Occasionally he would "break" to tell me something like, "let's pretend I'm a baby butterfly and I'm sad because I want my Mommy & Daddy butterflies." We then went back to playing while I put on his jammies; I pretended to be the Mommy Butterfly. I told him he didn't need to be sad because I would always be there for him until he was ready to fly away on his own. Another "break."

"Mommy, let's pretend the baby butterfly is sad because he doesn't ever want the Mommy Butterfly to leave, even when he grows up into a grown up butterfly."

I wrapped my arms around him and told him how I would never leave him. How even when he was a grown up butterfly, he would always be my baby butterfly. Always and forever.

Then we crawled under the covers and read a few chapters from our next Magic Treehouse book. We turned off the lights and snuggled together, something my little boy is pretty much never in the mood for unless it means he is about to be alone in his bed. So I snuggled with my usually unsnuggly boy for a few extra minutes. And I stared at his sweet and innocent face on his pillow. And as I left his room, I thought, "I know all parents love their children, but oh my goodness, it is almost unbelievable how very much do I love mine."

Goodnight, Kiddo. And do not worry, I am never going anywhere.