I Will Be Happy Because I’m With You

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Mom and daughter dancing

Every night, we put Maggie to bed. And almost every night, she pops out one single time, to tell me she needs me. “Mommy, I need you to give me water.” Or, “Mommy, I need you to cover me up.” It’s usually just the one time, and it’s usually not for any good reason other than that she wants a little extra love. So okay.

The other night she called for me and I went in. “Lay with me for a liddle bit,” she said in her tiny kid voice. So I did. “Let’s have a slumber party.” So we closed our eyes and pretended to sleep.

All of a sudden she popped her little head up and said, “If you say to me ‘let’s have an adventure,’ and then we will go, I will be happy because I’m with you.” And she put her head back on her pillow.

Do you remember being a kid? Do you remember being so young that you didn’t feel embarrassed or ashamed to say anything that was on your mind? The way that little ones express themselves is so extraordinary, and so beautiful, and so open. “I will be happy because I’m with you.” It’s such a simple thought and a simple statement. But how many times have you said that to another adult, just because you felt it?

I came out of her room after she was settled and I wrote down exactly what she said, word for word. I wanted to remember how it came out of her little brain, with the words and syntax a bit mixed up but the sentiment so sweet and clear and true.

I know someday she’ll be older. And that time will take its toll and her words will be more guarded. (I often wonder what kind of relationship we’ll have when she’s a teenager. Or when she’s an adult.) But more than anything, I want her to feel brave enough and sure enough of herself to say what she feels.

And if one day she finds this post floating out in the world somewhere and reads it, I want her to know that the feeling is mutual. I will be happy because I’m with you. xoxo

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2 Comments

  1. Pingback: I Will Be Happy Because I’m With You – Art Corner
  2. Beautiful….. I can still remember the exact moment my little children said a couple of sweet things. Love so big you can’t describe it.