A Safe Place...

Yesterday I read a sweet blog post from one of my friends that just recently adopted. She has a son with special needs and talked about how he was her "safe place" and how she is currently the "safe place" for her littlest son and newly adopted daughter. It was a sweet post and it made me think about my "safe place" and if I am a "safe place" for my children. I had never really thought about it before...

Last night, after Devee's dance recital we went to ice cream with my sister and her in-laws and my parents. The table was crowded and Rylee had crawled on my lap and Alex had pulled up a chair next to me and I could feel him laying his head against my arm as I held Rylee. Devree jokingly tried to get on my lap too and I tried to wrap my arms around everyone. I felt like the old woman in the shoe....without enough lap for everyone.

This morning I was up early - this mid life of mine has prevented me from sleeping in - and I was returning some emails and checking my facebook when Alex stumbled in rubbing the sleep from his eyes. I am at the computer A LOT so he has a way of standing next to me and giving me a side hug and leaning over to put his head on my head. I swiveled around on my chair asking how he slept and he immediately climbed on my lap, wrapped his arms around me, laying his head on my shoulder with his legs hanging off the chair awkwardly. I joked about what are we going to do when he gets bigger?  He told me we'd just have to hug standing up. I told him maybe I would have to sit on his lap?  We hugged for a minute and I asked him what he was thinking? He could see the game of "Life" on the table and said "About playing Life." 

As I sat there holding him, I tried again. 

"What are you thinking when you want to hug me like this?"
"I like to hug"

"Oh. You like to hug? So anyone would do huh? A stranger on the street?"

"No! I like to hug YOU!"

Ahh...thanks.....why?

"Uhm....when I hug you....I feel safe."