Little Boy Kryptonite

I have discovered little boy Kryptonite. I have discovered the one thing that can stop any little boy no matter what his path. I have discovered... (drum roll, please)

Mommy tears.

To say that we've been having a difficult time with my son lately is a bit of an understatement. We're trying to take care of a little routine medical problem, but it is affecting his sleep. And Major Boy needs his sleep!

Lately I have been finding him asleep in the oddest places. I'll leave him alone for just a moment and he'll fall asleep eating dinner. (Buffy the Wonder Puppy finished that up for him.) I'll turn around for just a second and he'll fall asleep on the playroom floor amidst all of his Lego’s. This afternoon he fell asleep during a concert!

The boy is tired. This is a kid who normally sleeps eleven hours straight every night. This fatigue is killing him.

In his very worst moments, he can be obstinate and stubborn anyway. He's going through a phase where he can't seem to see any one's needs beyond his own. He's prideful and he enjoys arguing. Add exhaustion to that mix and we are at wit's end.

We had such a wonderful time at Disney World, but we did have one bad episode. While we were waiting for a parade to start in the Magic Kingdom, he hit his limit. He cried and wailed, but we were saving seats for my daughter and husband and I didn't feel like we could leave. When my husband got back and he didn't desist, Daddy took matters into his own hands. He scooped him up and left for the hotel.

I have to admit, I cried. Here we were, in the happiest place on Earth, and I just had my husband and son storm off and leave us behind.

This afternoon after a particularly difficult "I don't wanna leave!" moment at the mall, my husband was so angry it broke my heart. I sent my son off to bed and gave him a bit to cool down. Then I went upstairs to have a talk.

I swear I didn't mean to, but once I said to him, "Remember when you cried and cried at the parade and Daddy took you back to the hotel?" I started to tear up again. As I explained to him how sad those moments made me, he teared up too.

I have never been one to manipulate my children emotionally. But in trying to explain to him how Mommy and Daddy respond to things differently, we both succumbed to real emotion.

When I started to tell him how much we love him and how I know that he is a very special little boy I really started to cry. This kid can just kill me.

I could see it in his eyes. Something clicked for him tonight. For the first time ever, I think he really realized what it meant to be sorry.

At least I hoped it clicked. My heart just can't take any more of these episodes. Especially when they flare up in the midst of so much joy and love. Only time will tell if this Little Boy Kryptonite made any difference at all.