old soul

putting ben to bed took me quite a while the other night.
the kid just wasn't interested in the process.
meanwhile, anth was downstairs.

when i finally came down the stairs, i found him on the couch.
he was on his side, propping his head up with one of his hands.
he had snuggled into a blanket.
the other hand was in the bowl of popcorn that he had put in front of his belly.
and he was patiently waiting with his addition flashcards for me to come "do numbers" with him.

bless.
his.
heart.
no TV. no toys. just sitting with his thoughts.

i told him that i thought he was a pretty mature guy.
then i asked him if he actually knew what mature meant.
"does it mean i'm good at playing games?"
i spent a minute explaining what i had meant.

anth went back to his popcorn and his thoughts for a moment.
"mom...i've been thinking. since i am now mature, i think we should talk about getting a hamster."