The Big Question…

“Mom, why is it just you in my family?” my son asked. We were standing in our kitchen and he was asking the question I’ve both dreaded and prepared for since before he was born: “Why don’t I have a……”

My brain reeled. I always thought that I would have formulated a better answer before he asked why he doesn’t have the other adult palindrome in his life: a DAD.

But then his words tumbled out.

“Mom, why don’t I have a second mom like my friend at school?”

I laughed reflexively. I loved the question but stumbled on how to answer it. “Ummmm, that’s complicated,” I spluttered.

Then I asked him the question I’ve been dreading: “Do you ever wish you had a dad?”

“I don’t need one. I have a grandpa.”

Wow. That was reassuring.

But my son never lets me off the hook that easily. Since this conversation, at random intervals, he looks at me earnestly and states:

“Mom, I really wish we had a second mom in the family. And a couple more kids.”

AND a couple more KIDS? What a time to raise the ante.

“I’ll take that under advisement, Scott. Don’t go holding your breath…”