Skip to main content

The 4 Year Old Who Vowed to be His Mom's Little Boy Forever Did Not Keep His Promise

When Taylor was just four sweet years old he told me that he would be my little boy forever, but ever since I first looked into his newborn eyes I knew then that he would forever be my baby. I often think of a favorite children's book, I'll Love You Forever, by Robert Munsch and how a mother, even in her old age and her son's adulthood, would sneak into her son's bedroom at night and rock him in his sleep. It is even more meaningful to me now that I have teenagers and adult children than it was when I was reading to them when they fit on my lap. No matter how big they get, my kiddos will always be my babies. 

 Last May Taylor moved into a townhome with his friends. I knew from the day he was born that he would one day leave the nest. I know he has been itching to be on his own for a while, but he's paying for college and a truck as well as his expensive hobbies so rent didn't fit into his budget. In  April, however, Destry told me that he went to see a townhouse that his aunt, Larayne Day had purchased as an investment. It needed a couple of repairs to get it ready  and asked if Destry could make them. Destry asked her how much rent she wanted and if she would consider renting to a group of guys. She said that had another rental that she rented to a handful of bachelors and that it worked out great for all involved. So Taylor found three buddies and hatched a plan to move into his own place. 

I could not be more happy for him or his choice of friends who moved in with him. They are lifelong friends who are familiar with Taylor and his need to not have peanut products in the house and his potential need to be given shot  to save his life. They still agreed, bless them. I know they will look out for him and will not be annoyed by not being able to have peanut butter sandwiches.  Matt Wright is in a room across the hall from him as is Brian Earl. Taylor snagged the master bedroom and I think the Matt shares that bathroom with him. Brian uses the other one that is also on the third floor of the town house. Ethan has the room on the main floor and his own bathroom. It is a great layout for a group of single adults. There is room to spread out and to host parties. The ground floor consists of the garage, one bedroom and one bathroom. The second floor houses the kitchen, great room and powder room. There is also a nook for two desks.  Upstairs has three bedrooms and two full baths as well as a laundry room. It has been great for them.

Would it be weird to say that I don't actually miss him? I mostly don't and here's why--I have more quality time with him now that he has moved out than when he was still living here. I was worried that he would say, "peace out" and be on his merry independent way when I drove away from his new home after helping him move some things in and then making a quick trip to the grocery store. He didn't. And not only that, but when he is here is hangs out with us, he visits, massages my shoulders, and plays games. He hasn't missed a family activity. When he lived here he would either hole up in his room or sit at his computer with headphones on. There were fewer interactions then than we have with him now. I couldn't be more thrilled about that! He also hasn't died which is definitely a bonus. His A1C is in check and he responsibly takes himself to his endocrinology appointments every three-four months. He orders his pump and glucose monitor supplies, but I still pick up his insulin.  

He just turned 21 so I guess that makes him more of an adult because now he can go to a bar. I asked him if he wanted to go and he said sort of, but that when he turned 18 he wanted to buy dry ice, but he hasn't done that yet. We opted for the Harvest Restaurant instead. It has a fancy feel without breaking the bank and they serve both steak and seafood, Taylor's favorites, so that seemed like a good choice.  He may not be my little boy like he promised me when he was 4 years old; in fact, he is very much a man, but  "I'll love him forever, I'll like him for always, as long as I'm living, my baby he'll be."


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Day He Died

Thirteen years ago today I was at an aquarium in the Gateway Shopping Center in Salt Lake City. I was with my sister-in-law, JuNette; her son Andrew and my three oldest children. Spencer had just turned five the day before, Taylor was three and a half, and Emma was 22 months. The aquarium was new and small, but we enjoyed our time there. After we had been there for some time JuNette handed me her phone and said that Destry had been trying to get a hold of me for quite some time. Destry told me not to worry, but that he and Christine were driving to my childhood home in Springville to check on my dad because no one had heard from him and he hadn't shown up to pick up my mom from the hospital.  My siblings and I had been worried about my mom's welfare because she had had a gastric bypass surgery to help her to loose weight and to improve both her health and her quality of life. The surgery had gone well and she was ready to come home on this day 13 years ago. Oddly, my dad neve

Her Life was Not as Sweet

A couple of years ago at a moment when my mom was expressing her love to her children and grandchildren, she mentioned that her Patriarchal Blessing stated she would live for as long as "life was sweet for her." She told us that while she missed her sweetheart dearly, life was indeed sweet. I thought that was a blessing for her and for us. This past year has been quite difficult for her. Last November she began having pain in her upper back, arms, and shoulders. She visited a pain clinic and received a series of injections providing her with some relief. By Spring her hands and feet were swollen and misshapen and she had difficulty getting her body moving each morning. If she had a morning appointment she would wake up at 4:00 a.m. in order to get her hands moving so she could use them. In the spring her primary care physician suggested she see a rheumatologist.  In the past she has had bad experiences either with rheumatology medications or doctors and I began going to

"Jesus, Savior, Pilot Me"

As a mother stills her child,      Thou canst hush the ocean wild; From August to November of last year, Taylor has had four witnessed and likely two other grand mal seizures; all of them in his sleep. By the time he'd had his sixth the Sunday before Thanksgiving, I had reached the end of my rope. It was terrifying to see him stiffen, shake, foam at the mouth and turn purple for many minutes. This particular seizure was the worst and the longest. We were struggling to get him seen by a neurologist and I had decided to call the paramedics for the fourth time and this time to have him transported to the hospital even if he regained consciousness. He needed to be fast tracked to testing and medication.  Little did I know that that call would take me down a path I never in a million years imagined I would be on.  To summarize what happened after the paramedics arrived, they pushed me out of Taylor's room and refused to give me the time of day. Never mind, he has a complex medical h