Childhood Traditions

Tonight we’re keeping our son up past his bedtime for something special. We’re going to go out into the backyard and collect fireflies. I even have a Mason jar to collect them. :thumbsup: (Yes, we do release them later.)

He’s three years old, and as far as I know, he’s never seen a firefly. I wonder what his reaction will be? That’s one of the best aspects of being a parent–seeing old traditions for the first time through the eyes of a child. This year was the first year he really understood about Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. We would tease him if a rabbit hopped into our yard and say, “Look! It’s the Easter Bunny!” Our son would squeal, “Oh, yes! You’re right! There he goes!”, his face lighting up with excitement. He’s convinced that Bambi comes out of the woods at twilight to feast upon the grass right outside the military base.

Each day is new for him. It’s always fun to hear him pick up conversational bits from my husband or myself like, “He’s a bad driver. He needs to pay more attention to the road.”

My favorite one, by far, was today’s quote. He trotted over to my husband, looked him in the eye and said, “I need a book contract.”

That’s my boy. :dance: