Socks

I don't usually ask the boys to collect the laundry. But when I do, I would remind them to take down the items systematically, i.e. first socks, then underwears, followed by T-shirts and so on. I am not being fussy, I have learnt that myself that doing it this way saves me time later on - everything pre-sorted in the laundry basket means I can skip this step when I fold them.

I got a little pleasant surprise this evening when I was folding the clothes. The socks have already been squidded as neatly as a soon-to-be 9-year-old could do. In my mundane mood of just finishing the last chores of today, I couldn't help but feel my heart swell with love. This is definitely not frequent in my daily routine.

This little innocent, part playful, part considerate act reveals an intricate personality, a trait that is consistently present in this particular boy. I don't even think that he knew this action would have sent a quick rush of warmth to my soul when he was squidding the socks in the laundry room.

I so love him! And this is not all. I used to ball up the socks but stop doing that because it tends to shorten the elasticity life. I hadn't expected him to have noticed the difference but he did and went on to squid the socks too.

The best part is, he is also aware where I keep those socks that are missing their partners. I have a small corner where I chuck those incomplete pairs and he placed his lonely sock there.

How not to love him? How to just smile and carry on with my chores without even mentioning it here? He made the extra effort squidding the socks, I make the extra effort documenting his extra effort. It is all so worth it.

Years down the road, when I am gone from this world, when he is a grown-up man, I wonder if he would tear up when he reads this post. Will you, Ludwig?

The boy who is still unwilling to wash his hair thoroughly, the boy whom I send back to the shower many more times than his brothers. The boy who asks me, "mommy, can I help you?" many more times than his brothers. The boy who loves taking drinking glasses repeatedly from the cabinet he is forbidden to. The boy who showers for Johann most of the time, ironically, Johann's hair is always washed properly. The boy who has proven to me being his mother has its rewards too.