After Saturday's soccer games, we came home and started lunch. Eli and I were both standing in the pantry (he had asked me to get something down for him.) That's when I sniffed. Hmmm? What's that smell? So I sniffed again. I realized what I was smelling was Eli. It wasn't his smelly gas or stinky feet this time. THIS time is was the overwhelming stank of old man B...O...! I couldn't believe it my little boy has body odor! What the heck? He just turned 8 for Pete's sake!
I told Eli, "Dude, you are stinky!" He just laughed. The entire conversation and events that followed, pretty much went down hill from there. To sum it up for you, picture this: both parents and multiple brothers taking turn sniffing his arm pits and soccer jersey in between rolling fits of laughter. We were all losing it! Mostly because I was the ONLY one who could actually smell the offensive odor. No one else could even detect the slightest smell. But they are all BOYS, what do they know? I really think that after all of these years, Jeff has lost his sense of smell. He swore he couldn't smell a thing!
Make NO mistake the smell was there. It reminded me of being in my Gaggie (Yes, that's what I call her-leave me alone!) & PopPop's automotive parts store as a kid. There were always a couple of old men who would come in who stunk up the whole place. When we'd see them pull up front to park, we knew what was about to happen....pure stink!
So I told Eli that he was going to have to get some deodorant. He really didn't protest. I think he liked the idea of being big like his Daddy!
I had a few things I needed from Walmart last night, so I asked him if he wanted to come along with me. He happily agreed! So there we were, in the deodorant aisle, sniffing every deodorant they had! Eli gets his inability to make decisions from me, so I was worried we'd be there forever! He probably smelled 10 different kinds before he made his choice! The whole scene just made me laugh. There I was, in Walmart, buying deodorant, for my just-turned 8 year old BOY! Oh it's just so hard to believe!
Throughout the rest of our shopping trip, I just watched him. I watched how big he looked. He comes up to my shoulders now (it's not like that's hard to do). He was walking around with his hand in his pockets, looking so much like his Daddy. He offered to go and get the milk for me. He offered to get the baby food off of the shelf. He loaded all of the groceries in the cart and then into the van.
I drove the whole way home with a giant lump in my throat. I was crying over deodorant! What a dork! OK, so it wasn't the deodorant that made me sad, but the fact that my boy is growing up and there's not a thing I can do about it.
As parents, we start wishing our kids into the next stage, the very moment they are born. We say, "If only, they'd sleep through the night! If only, they'd pee in the potty! If only, they'd stop sucking their thumb! If only they'd stay in their bed! If only, they'd clean up their toys!" So many "if only's"! I'm starting to feel differently about them now! If only time would slow down!
But he's growing up, just the way God intended. And that's OK! I'm not sure how I'd feel if he were 25 and still living with us! :)
So my challenge for myself over the fall break is to live in the present and not wish this time away! Who's with me?
By the way, did anyone else out there have stinky boys at age 8?
~Kristee
