Reflections ~ #MindfulMotheringMondays

"Look at the reflection of the trees, mom. When regular trees reflect, they look like weeping willows. But, when weeping willows reflect, they look like regular trees".

My son and I went on a date Saturday afternoon. Older sis was at a birthday party so he and I had some time to ourselves. We checked out an open house at a new kids art "studio" and then headed to a favorite park to do some nature hiking. 

Nature hikes are among our favorite things to do together. He likes them because, at heart, he is an explorer. He has great instincts and an awesome sense of direction. He also notices EVERYTHING and remembers what he sees, so he can be trusted when you say "which way should we go?".

I like them because we have the best talks while surrounded by trees.

Somewhere among the dirt, lakes, snapping turtles and sticks, my boy always reveals another part of himself just brewing under the surface. And those revelations always slightly shift my perspective.

I could get all philosophical and interpret tons of meaning into his reflection statement. But, I won't. Because what he said wasn't what almost made me cry. 

It was the fact that he said it.

If you were to rewind 3 years, you would have found a much different boy. Speech hasn't come easily for him. First, up until he was about 3, he lived with a significant amount of fluid on his ears that went undetected. He never had high temps and grew used to the sound so he thought it was normal. Second, once the ear situation was corrected, we realized how significantly his language had been altered. Third, speech therapy began and the uphill fight for relearning basics commenced. 

If I'm being honest, it was brutal. I know it was awful for him because he KNEW people couldn't understand him well. This affected his self esteem and confidence so significantly that he just wouldn't talk to people. He got to the point that he wouldn't even try. You could see it on his face ~ that "why bother" look. It was awful for me because, well, I'm his mom, I love him, and every parent just wants their kid to know they can do it. And, let's face it, people can be pretty judgmental. It drove me crazy. I felt like people couldn't see my amazing kid because he had a challenge.

But, somewhere along the way, things started turning around. All the hard sessions, the tears, the redirection, the encouragement, the LISTENING; they all wove together to bring us to today.

When my sweet boy went to camp this year, they gave him the character award of  Bold ~ because he "isn't afraid to speak his mind and tell you what he wants" (according to his counselor). 

He still has tough spots with his speech. R's still need work and when he gets really excited he forgets again that he needs to say all the parts of the words with breaths in between the words. But, he speaks. With confidence. To strangers. To friends. To his sister and dad. 

To me.

My mama's heart will never take those words for granted. Every one of them is precious to me. Every time he can tell me what is going on inside of his mind and heart, it changes me. 

I pray he keeps right on telling me.

And, I pray that I listen.

Linking up with Lydia over at Small Town Simplicity for Mindful Mothering Mondays. If you'd like to join in, grab the graphic and link up!