A Boy Through
His Mother's Eyes
by William P
Adams
Middle-aged
Audrey settled onto a park bench on a fine spring
day in May next to a young mother with a boy who
was wiggling and giggling in a fancy stroller,
itching to break free and frolic with the other
toddlers in the Wickfield Meadows Community play
group.
“My, what a handsome lad… and with so
much energy!”
“Thank you. He is quite a handful. I’m
hoping the play group activity will tire him out,
so he’ll take a good, long nap this
afternoon.”
“He reminds me so much of my Alan… how
old is he?”
“Twenty-two months… and already potty
trained!”
“Oh, my… how nice for you! My Alan just
turned 360 months.”
“Uh, excuse me, did you say 360 months?”
“Oh, yes… he’s getting to be such
a big boy. He even sleeps in a big-boy bed in his
own room!”
“Oh… that’s nice. Is Alan a
special child?”
“I’ll say he is! Why, my Alan can bring
home the bacon, and fry it up in a pan! Well, it’s
me who does the frying. He says I’m
the best cook and mommy in the world. I make all
his meals just the way he likes, and on time, too,
or he can be a little fussy.”
“What I meant by special… oh, never
mind. Does Alan have a job? Does he contribute to
the household?”
“Oh, no… he wouldn’t think of it.
He says a job would take too much time away from
his loving mommy, and we get along pretty well
with my government assistance. There are some
days I must make a stop at the food bank, but
only after he comes back cranky from watching the
horsies.”
“Watching the horsies?”
“Oh, yes… he rides the choo-choo all by
himself to watch the ponies run around in a
circle. My Alan says it makes him happy, but
sometimes he comes back frowny, and, on those
days, I hope the food bank has something he likes.
I give my Alan money for the choo-choo, and also,
some to feed the horsies. He says they get
awfully hungry running around that circle.”
The young mother is thinking to herself, her Alan
has got some kind of good thing going.
“Does Alan ever come back from watching the
horses in a good mood?”
“Yes, sometimes. On those days, his friend
Judy comes over, and they play games in my Alan’s
bedroom.”
“Games?”
“Oh, yes… It’s a game where they
pretend to be different kinds of animals, making
the sounds animals make, like ooh ooh ooh, and
ahh ahh ahh. I’m so glad my Alan has a
friend like Judy to play with!”
“Hmm, does Alan have any other friends?”
“Yes! One day, two mean-looking boys, My
Alan’s age, knocked on our door, and he hid
in the closet. The boys came in, looked, and
looked and never found him! They said they’d
be back, but my Alan is the best at Hide and Seek!”
“Oh-kay… nice chatting with you. It
looks like playtime is over, and we must be on
our way home.”
“Heavens, look at the time! If I don’t
have my Alan’s lunch on the table by noon,
he’ll turn into Mr. Crabby Appleton!”
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