Patience is a virtue, right?

Cody, my ten year old and my fourth child, is going through that clingy stage. He has been my shadow now for about a month or so. I've learned it won't last forever from raising my three other kids that are all older than him. Time passes quickly and one day you look around and they've become years older. So much older that they no longer want to spend their evenings hanging out with you. So I love the time he spends with me. I know that in a few short years, he won't be sharing his time with me and asking me five billion-trillion questions. And those questions, I'll just say right here, I'm not always able to answer. He will soon reach another stage where he thinks Mom is boring or stupid or just too old. And he'll find other things to fill his days.

This clingy stage is so sweet and so exhausting at the same time. After a day of questions like why the banana he's trying to peel won't open up the right way, or asking if I've ever had a pencil where the eraser doesn't erase good or aiming his nerf gun at me from around the corner, or sneaking into the room to pop up and surprise me; I begin to wish for a couple of hours of quiet time. And all of this attention he is handing out is reserved just for me. I certainly know that it's a compliment that he wants to play with me and spend time with me. I know this. So I put on my happy face and listen attentively to what he has to say, act surprised when he jumps at me and try to answer his many, many questions. And as his mom, it's my job to make sure he doesn't feel slighted in the least.

He can really make me tired. But I do love this attention he gives because I know it won't last forever. And I want him to grow up to be a man that will come home, walk through the door and give his mom a hug.