Although certainly this bit of news comes from my five year old, I can’t help but wonder if she’ll utter the same words when she does in fact have a baby of her own (albeit with a different name).
She enters the room presenting her newborn baby to me, holding her gently to her chest, and gently rocking side to side and speaking in a hush, “you are going to have to babysit, I’m going to the Navy”.
“If he cries while I’m gone, you’ll have to call my number 258-904.”
And she’s gone, just like that. Like when I was in the Navy; with the deployments, training exercises, and the numerous impromptu trips I had to take. Just like that, I was gone.
I can hear the phone ringing now, “Hi mom, can you watch the kids? Thanks, bye.”
She’s carrying her doll around by the head now. “My baby is cool.”
“What’s so cool about your baby, Chloe?” I ask.
“My baby is confident, doesn’t argue, and does the dishes.” She responds.
Wow. Doesn’t argue and does the dishes; sounds eerily the opposite of her brothers (even though they are still cool).
She’s now putting a band-aid on her baby. “He was riding his bike and fell down and cut his knee.” Her baby is now a boy, and a kid. Chloe says, “He’s learning”. It seems as though her baby isn’t the only one learning.
Back into her arms, rocking.
I want to fold her up into my arms, and rock, forever.
