My Date . .. with an 11-year-old

I don't spend nearly enough one-on-one time with my kids as I want. We spend tons of family time together, but there is just something very special and precious about spending time to focus on that one special person.

Friday I took Alec with me to the homeschool conference for the first time ever. He and I share the same love for books, so I knew he was going to love it. I gave him a list and set him loose to find his stuff. I think he enjoyed this independence. He would check in with me and let me know what he found. I told him to treat himself and put a few extras in the suitcase for his pleasure.

After loading up our suitcases we then had to sort and compare what we both had found. He was so excited. He just recently saw The Lord of the Rings trilogy and found the book. He also got a really cool book on pirates. We found some movies about WWII. He and I both share the same love for history. We both were just giddy . . . giddy I tell you . . . over all of these books and the deals.

We then went to the vendor hall and got some Father Gilbert Mysteries, Your Story Hour, and Adventures in Odyssey.

He was in awe at all of the books.
We both were starving so we headed north to Atlanta and went to The Old Spaghetti Factory. Neither of us had ever been, so we were both excited. Our conversation over lunch was just precious. We talked about everything from C.S Lewis and J.R. Tolkien, our faith, other religions, elves, Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, video games, his friends. We talked about how yummy the bread was and how he clearly out ate me with all of the food. We talked about love languages. He wanted to know what they were. He guessed mine correctly as being words of affirmation. He then confirmed to me what I already knew . . . his is quality time. I know one day very soon our conversations will change from all of this "boy" stuff to girls . . . who he likes, who he thinks is pretty, and . . . yes . . . probably even who has broken his heart.

We then headed to Ross to buy him some summer clothes. He picked them all out and was very excited. I even headed over the Junior's section (yes, I buy my clothes in the Junior's department, and, yes, I know Stacy and Clinton from What Not to Wear would tell me I was participating in a fashion no-no) to buy myself a few things.

Dating my kids? Yes . . it is precious. No . . . I don't make the time for it I should. Did this one special day . . . a day that is etched on my heart forever . . . give me the drive and the boost I needed to do it more often? ABSOLUTELY!!!! It is time that is certainly never, ever wasted. You know how I know?

As our day came to a close, Alec (my nonaffectionate, non "tell you first that he loves you" - he says i love you too, but never says it first), reaches over and grabs my hand and says, "I love you, Mama." I held his hand and said, "I love you too, baby."