Bearded Boy?

 

S.O.L. #16/31

It was the middle of winter, anxious to get outside and do something, my 6 year old son, MIchael, was working hard digging holes in our overgrown, dead garden. He dug until he discovered a long, stick-like vine underground. He tried chopping it with his small, child-like shovel. He tried pulling and tugging and still couldn’t get it out of the ground. Frustrated, he came indoors in hopes of acquiring a knife to help him sever this “thick-stick” that was stuck underground. He tried recruiting me to come outdoors and help him; to no avail. However, I did convince his father to let him take out a pocket knife to use (this got me out of getting dressed and going out in the cold to dig for no purpose.) Michael was thrilled being charged with this big boy privilege and he was on a mission. Unfortunately, that vine was truly stuck. I’m not sure why he couldn’t get that vine to yield to his slicing. But he finally gave up and came indoors.

The next day he woke complaining that his arm/shoulder was aching. I instantly connected the dots to his recent digging and gently massaged his shoulder for him.

That night he got two new recruits (the little neighbor girls) to help him dig in his garden. Those three friends dig and dug until it was so cold and so dark, I had to call them inside.

The next morning he awoke and grasped his chin rubbing it and stating,

 “Ya know, mom, I think I’ve been digging in the garden so long

that I have grown a beard!”

I chuckled and said, “You’re so silly.”

But he insisted I feel his chin still claiming it was prickly. I relented and touched his small chin only to be surprised that is was, in fact, bumpy. After investigating more closely, I confirmed that his face was itchy, red and bumpy. 

We realized that he was probably allergic to something he came in contact with in the old, dried up garden. 

He may feel very grown up but thankfully it will be quite a while before my baby boy has whiskers!