Unconditional Love

"Mommy, I love you even though your legs are spikey!"

We were in the car, on the way home from a trip to our favorite entertainment spot, Target, when my son went very quiet. My husband and I figured that he was getting sleepy, and that he would be snoozing at any moment.

We were in deep conversation while we mistakingly thought our son was nodding off when his voice suddently piped up from behind us:

"Mommy, I love you even though your legs are spikey!"

I shot my husband a dangerous look as his head flung back and he laughed uncontrollably, maniacally even. Of course, my son was beaming. I looked back at him, and his cheeks were pink with delight, and his eyes sparked in an "aren't I adorable, you can't be mad" kind of way.

My husband, smartly, was trying to supress his giggles, but he wasn't very successful. My son wasn't even trying. He was having a full on laugh attack.

What did I do? I laughed, and I fought the urge to cry my eyeballs out.

No, not because of any damage to my pride. Once you have a child you start to care less about things like spikey legs, daily makeup application, or stains on white shirts.

I was tearing up because my son loved me despite my flaws, and his declaration was the best way he could explain that in his five-year-old way.

He gets it, and he loves me. No matter what.