If I had to pick two words to describe my son, they would
have to be 'extroverted' and 'fearless'. Even though he's a scant 11 months
old, Ethan has yet to really meet a stranger he wouldn't befriend and a
challenge he won't take on.
What makes it even more interesting is when I compare him to
what his sister was like at the same age. For one thing, it was nearly
impossible for Bethany and/or me to pry ourselves loose of her death grip when
she was in an uncomfortable situation. Even if we managed to do so, the
ear-piercing screams and newly-torn holes in our clothing painted quite the
picture of our scenario. Ethan is a much different child though and I have a
story from tonight that proves just how different he is.
Tonight marked the start of our Tuesday night Life Group for
the semester. The good thing about this group is that we've mostly been
together for over a year so all of our families have gotten to know one
another. Ellie has actually stepped outside of her comfort zone and made some
deep friendships with the kids of the other parents who attend. I'm guessing if
you asked her, it would be that little girl's highlight of the week.
While Ellie spends her evening playing with the other kids,
Ethan largely sticks with us for the bible study portion of the evening.
Normally, those times are relatively uneventful for Ethan but tonight was a
little different to say the least.
The typical operating procedure for Ethan on these evenings
is to play with any toys he can find and otherwise spend his wandering back and
forth between Bethany, myself, and a select few others in order to get his fill
of attention. For Ethan, everything seemed to be going perfectly according to
his little plan when our leader threw a curveball Ethan's way. We would be
splitting up guys and gals for some independent discussion and prayer time.
Figuring that Ethan would probably prefer Bethany's presence, I made the
decision to leave him with his mother as I joined the men in another room.
As we were deep in discussion, I began to hear Ethan's
unmistakable babbling somewhere close. Even though I didn't see him at first, I
kept glancing around until I finally saw him wandering around the corner. As
soon as he spotted me, a smile erupted across his face and he hit max speed
(for him) until he finally plopped down in my lap. From there, he began to help
himself to the plate of cheese and crackers I had been snacking on while
occasionally looking up at me and proudly giggling.
For you to realize what a big deal to me, a little bit of
back story is necessary. You see, Ellie would never have done anything quite
like this. Even today, convincing her to leave Bethany's side for anything
takes quite a bit of work.
For Ethan though, he willingly left his mother's side to
strike out on his own and explore the house until he finally found me. Even
though I was just a couple of rooms over, there was certainly a degree of
bravery in his actions. That or he somehow knew I had food and was trying to
con me out of it.
I'm choosing to believe he just missed me and wanted to hang
out. Alas, I guess there's no true way of knowing until I conduct said
experiment again at a future date without the presence of food. That should
confirm things once and for all...I hope. #DaddyWrite
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