A Child Just Like Me...

For those close enough to learn my personal idiosyncracies it is no secret that my comfort/worry stone has always been the ear. My family tells stories of little hands finding the ear in the car, in the middle of the night, whenever completely inconvenient. The women in my family tell tales of earring-less days because of my every roving little hands. I have always found these stories comforting -- evidence that despite all the changes that come with growing up somethings never change. Lest those neophytes to this revelation think me crazy beyond all reason let me say as a side note that I share my love for the ear lobe with Former President Ronald Reagan -- a fact shared during the week of news coverage for his funeral. Back on point...it never entered my mind to consider how absolutely annoying my endless ear search must have been for my family. That is until Jack developed his own habit.

Jack's worry stone is not the ear but rather the belly button, his own fortunately; however, because he refuses to sleep under a blanket and thus must wear footie pajamas his belly button is often inaccessible. Consequently, Jack has turned his attention to the lower half of the face, specifically the chin and lips. He digs his razor-like claws into skin in an effort to lull himself to sleep. It is the MOST annoying event of our day. Yet I let him continue his activity primarily because it is one of the few times of the day when he is still and quiet and snuggly. He crawls into a lap, flops his head against a shoulder, sticks one finger in his mouth and the other little hand begins its blind search for the comfort stone. And when I reach the pinnacle of frustration I remember the stories of my family and know that Jack deserves the opportunity to hear the same stories and feel the same comfort from them. I just hope he grows out of the habit earlier than I did (I still play with ear lobes...I'm an addict); it will be awkward for a 17 year old to play with his mother's face before he can sleep -- I doubt the guys on the football team will be able to overlook that one.