My Baby

My oldest son has had a pretty important month. He turned 12, was ordained a Deacon, and has started passing the sacrament. On Saturday we took him to the temple to do baptisms. I arranged a special family session, it was amazing! Every time I'm in the temple with my husband, I think about what it'll be like to have our sons there too. It was so neat to show him around a bit, to point out beautiful paintings, the gold leaf on the ceiling, and the wonderful spirit we feel there. Two hours after leaving the temple, my baby left for a week to scout camp! As he was stowing his pack and hanging around with the other scouts getting ready to leave, I saw him with new eyes. I could see the tiny newborn he once was. I could see me in him, and I could also see his dad, but there was something new there, some part of the man he's becoming. As mothers, I think we can be too close to get a clear view of the people we call our children. We can see them just as they relate to us, not as fully-realized individuals who just happen to share half our DNA. I saw a glimpse Saturday of this person, almost like I was looking at him through the wrong end of a spyglass. It's crazy to think that in seven more years, no one he meets will think of him as my son, he'll just be himself. He'll be free to succeed or to fail all on his own. I'm just so glad that he still likes to be with me, values my opinion, and still wants to snuggle in my bed first thing in the morning!