Allyssa was sitting on my freshly vacuumed den floor, coloring in her coloring books as she watched the daily cartoons on public broadcasting. Maggie lay on the floor next to her intently watchful, and ever vigilant and protective of her."Do you think my mommy loves me?" she asked as she stuck her tongue out intently as she colored with a blue crayon amid the lines.
"I think you mother loves you very much," I said, sitting on the couch, watching.
"Why did she leave me?" Allyssa said as she looked up at me with those earnest eyes.
My heart broke..."Sometimes mommas and daddy's need to take a break," I said, stifling back a tear. "That is where grandmas come in. Your grandmother loves you very much as well. She's your momma now."
Allyssa smiled at me and went back to coloring as she would occasionally look up to watch the TV. It was remarkable how resilient children can be. She really was a wonderful child to be around. Rosa came and picked her up in a friend's car, and I was actually sad to see her leave. I am exhausted, though. I've gotten several emails about how tired I would be when this was all over. They were right! Kids are so busy! I felt like I constantly had to watch her to make sure she didn't get into to trouble or harm herself. It was a damn lot of responsibility. This bachelor admires parents everywhere. It's a tough job, but so filled with satisfaction. To know a little life is dependant upon you, looks up to you, and needs you to survive is humbling. Maybe someday I will be a parent yet! I don't have very high hopes, though. I am getting old! I will be forty before you know it.
19 comments:
Your response was exactly what that child needed. Anything more, anything less would have been just wrong. She was blessed to have spent time with you, allowing you to watch her color on the den floor.
Oh you handled Allyssa's questions very well! Very well done. You are a kind soul. Rest now.
Diana
You did a great job.
Bless you, Andrew! Before becoming a mother, I was told how it would be both the most rewarding and the most challenging job I would ever have...and I could never understand that until I became one. You have had a glimpse, along with having to tackle a very difficult question (ranking up there with "Where do babies come from?")...kudos and congratulations to you on having survived what appears to have been a very insightful afternoon for you.
Peace, and rest well...
Great job. It'd be great to see you as
I seem to have lost half of my previous post o_O
I meant to say "Great job. It'd be great to see you as a parent someday."
Bravo, Andrew! You did a wonderful job and responded exactly as I would have. It sounds like you both got something out of your time together. She sounds so sweet!
Great!
Thank you.
have a good weekend
Heartbreaking! I'm glad you did so well with her. Kids and dogs usually go well together. I guess because they are so much alike in behavior. You are a good guy to give Rosa a break. Sometimes a little time to regroup is all you need and Rosa has no help with her I would imagine. That is very hard 24/7.
Children really do have hearts of gold, not matter how bronze they might appear.(I know that was lame, I just had to say it. I actually said this out loud.) Also...
You were awesome! I don't know how I would have reacted to such a question. I couldn't have handled it better. I hope you do become a parent some day. Some day soon, because you deserve it most.
What a great answer. Bravo to you. It sounds like she is a sweet little girl and you did great with her. If she had been uncomfortable around you you would have known.
But Maggie of course was a wonderful icebreaker - kids and dogs go together.
P.S. Like the Army, parenting is the toughest job you'll ever love.
Great response to such a touch question. Rest now, you deserve it.
I'm so glad you had a good day together, Andrew. I knew you could handle it just fine. You comforted a little girl's heart wonderfully! You never know what the future holds for you, my friend, men much older than 40 have become fathers! :-)
You answered her question very well and I know it was heartbreaking. I would have felt like crying too. It's rough when little children suffer.
Well done on the day with the little one! Rest and Relax now. Enjoy your weekend!
-Michelle
Did you change your profile picture??? :P
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I am so proud of you! It is a big job and you did it wonderfully. Way to go!
You would make a remarkable parent!!
Very very nice day for you!! I'm so glad! Children are very humbling...even if it's our nephews, nieces, whomever...they remind us of innocence that we long to have.
Always,
Crusty~
Kids have excellent perception of what is going on around them. The best way to answer their hard questions is to answer them as honestly as possible without giving them all the gorry details that they aren't able to process at their age. You did an awesome job of answering her!
Just breaks my heart though to see a parent not able, for whatever reason, to take care of their child. Makes me want to take the child in and make her one of my own.
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