Etched in our hearts

Children leave behind mementos of themselves  

I was mad. Really mad. In his path of destruction, Craig first spray-painted a big smiley face on the green utility bucket because he “just wanted to make everyone happy.” Then he took a sharp knife to the kitchen faucet, leaving deep gouges in the white enamel. But the topper was when he began carving his name into one of our kitchen chairs—“C R A . . . .” Enter the mean mommy, aghast at my little vandal. To this day, the dirty deed remains incomplete, a reminder of his errant behavior forever etched in the chair.

We’re a little two-sided, we parents. On the one hand, we’re anxious to see our children grow up into responsible adults, yet we snap photo after photo trying to capture their innocence. From the moment they’re born, we dream big dreams of them doing great things, but then we cry when we leave home to pursue those dreams. In short, we’re torn. Mostly, kids seem to take this emotional yo-yo-ing in stride, but it can take a toll on us parents.

I thought my anger was justified. After all, at the time, teaching respect for property seemed so important, but I was missing a lesson of my own. Since that damage-control period, we’ve replaced the bucket and the faucet, but I refuse to get rid of that chair. Today Craig turns 20 years old and lives thousands of miles away in a foreign country, and, even without the chair, I couldn’t forget him if I tried. Children—these wonderful human beings—are in our homes for just a short time and rarely come back as adults. Yet, no matter how far-flung they are, they remain etched in our hearts.