A few weeks ago, a family friend gave me a stack of pictures from her wedding in 2002. Ethan was the ring bearer in their wedding and also, the free entertainment at the reception.
He was only 4 years old, too young to care what anyone thought, and so as soon as the music started playing, he hit the dance floor all by himself and WENT OFF. The kid danced for probably 30 minutes by himself while everyone watched, cheered him on and laughed until they had tears rolling down his face.
It was hysterical because the kid had THE MOVES and wasn’t afraid to use them.
Andrew wanted nothing to do with the dance floor I begged him to get out there with his brother, but he refused. It’s always like that with my boys. Ethan is a free spirit, not too worried about what people think, not afraid to bust out the Elvis Dance Moves at a wedding.
(Which reminds me of my friend’s wedding last summer. The entire reception, people were begging me to do The Worm. “But I can’t! I have a skirt on! And we all know what happened the last time that happened the last time that I did The Worm in a skirt!" But they didn’t care and kept egging me on and finally, I was all “Tony, here! Hold my wine! Fear not! I’m tucking the skirt in!” and I wormed my way across the dance floor. Ah, he is SO my son.)
I was able to talk Andrew into one dance that day. It took a lot of begging and pleading, but he finally gave in and danced with me and Ethan. I do remember that dance and how lucky I felt to have both of my little guys there, holding my hand dancing with me. I had no idea how much that dance would mean to me almost 5 years later.
That dance that I had begged my oldest son for, the one where we laughed and twirled and sang along to the music was now a memory that a random stranger had captured on film. I held that picture in my hands and I began to cry.
A picture, snapped by a complete stranger, holds more meaning to this mother than that person will ever know. One picture among hundreds taken that day.
A picture that reminds me just how fast the time really flies—how I blinked and that little boy in the red shirt is a few months away from his Freshman year in high school and that little munchkin in the blue shirt is now “too cool” to let loose like he did that day.
I’m so grateful for this picture. It serves as a reminder that I really must cherish every moment. I had no idea that day as I was dancing with my boys that beautiful day in 2002 that 5 years later, I’d be sitting with my teenage son, looking at a picture of that very moment, and hear the words “you know mom, that will be the only picture you’ll ever see of me dancing with you like that.”
(Did you hear that sound? That was my heart, breaking into a million pieces.)
If I had known that, maybe I would have danced a little longer with them that day, or maybe I would have reminded myself to never forget the way their laugh sounded as they were twirling around, or maybe I would have asked someone to take more pictures, or maybe I would have broke down right there on the dance floor, dropped to my knees and begged God to please let them still little just a while longer because I wasn't prepared for the day that they were too grown to dance with their mama to come so damn soon.
Yes, I too remember when my son was young enough to dance like nobody was watching and even slow dance with his Mother. (of course I had to pick him up and carry him to get him at eye level:) Now he is 15 and big enough to pick me up. With absolutely no desire to dance with me or let me kiss him goodbye when I drop him at school!
Your son will dance with you again, you just have to wait a bit until his wedding...............