You Won't Convince Me Otherwise

I have a kid who is not a hugger. He regularly eschews anything touchy-feely. He says "OK" when I tell him I love him, which is often. His father, one very affectionate and demonstrative dude, tells him: "We're Alatorres. We hug. Get over here." This kid resists.

But guess what? Lately, he has been letting me hug him. I've actually gotten to tickle him this summer. He's more and more playful. Just now, I sent him off to bed with an I Love You, and I got one back in return. I almost fell over, and not because I've had a few glasses of red wine.

I attribute this new found state of relaxation to the fact that he is not returning to school this year. This is the kid who, upon learning that we would be home schooling him and his siblings for 2010-11, sullenly responded "Why didn't you do this a year ago?" That was back before he was letting me hug him. Now, in his new, more-huggable state, he seems like a kid more comfortable in his own skin, happy, funny, playful. He seems like the kid he was back before he started going to school.

I could weep from joy. This is why we are home schooling.

Tonight, he asked me if we could have a morning this winter, while we are homeschooling, where they get up and I make them hot chocolate and they can bring their blankets down to the living room and sit in front of the fire and drink hot chocolate and then later we can go to the library. He wants to check out comic books. Whatever, I totally said YES.

Bring on my new life. I can't wait to see how it unfolds.


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