Mother, may I?
In the childhood game Mother, May I?, a child must ask
permission to move forward by using the all-important question: Mother May I—take
two giant steps? five baby steps? one baby step then three giant steps? Sometimes,
the “mother” answers yes, and sometimes no. If the child forgets to ask the
question the correct way, he/she has to go back to the beginning and start all
over again.
I was thinking about the game this past Sunday when the two
older boys called home to chat. As adults now living on their own, the Mother,
May I? of their childhood has turned into Mother, I may. Then fill
in the blank: may go to Japan this summer, get engaged, move to a new apartment,
buy a new car. The flip-flopped words now inform, rather than ask.
And there are no more baby steps.
Just big GIANT steps that mark new beginnings and exciting
milestones.
Jonathan and Caroline’s November wedding date is quickly
approaching, especially now that pre-wedding festivities have commenced: Caroline’s
bachelorette party last month, a couple’s engagement party last weekend, and
Jonathan’s bachelor weekend just one week away.
Nicholas and Lauren, just yesterday, moved into their new
house in Little Rock. After newlywed apartment living, they are experiencing
the unbridled joy of having all that space (Yard! Laundry room! Office!) and settling
down to the task of turning a house into a home.
And Timothy’s giant steps come with a long stride. Being the
youngest with two older brothers, he is not only following in their footsteps but
paving his own way. Just think: he is about to attend his SECOND bachelor
weekend and he is only a rising college sophomore. When he attended Nicholas’
bachelor weekend two years ago, he sent a text saying he was sitting on the beach
getting Life Lessons from one of Nicholas’ friends. And knowing that friend,
who is charming but somewhat of a mess, I mentally cringed.
Giant steps can sometimes be … yikes.
But I know that no matter how many giant steps they take, no matter how far and
wide they may wander, it is as it should be.
Mother May I?
Yes, you may.
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