My Purple Hayes Daze

I hope that Hayes grows up to be thankful for everyday things.  So, in an attempt to instill a sense of gratitude in him, each night before he goes to sleep, I ask him to tell me about his favorite part of the day.  It’s quite heartwarming to hear what sticks out in his mind, and what he finds important and exciting in an otherwise uneventful twenty-four hours.  Then, I always ask him to turn the best part of the day into a thank-you prayer.

Tonight, he prayed a particularly interesting prayer.  It went something like this (my thoughts included):

Dear God,

Thank you for me riding down the ramp on my scooter.  (Hmmm…I never would have thought to say thanks for something as simple as that.  But, hey, I’m learning a lot from this kid).  And for me sharing my scooter with Kimani.  (Umm…not entirely true, little one.  Actually, I had to force you to share your scooter.  You didn’t want Kimani anywhere near your scooter today, remember)? And that Kimani came to my house.  (Sweet).  And that I punched him in the face really hard.  (Wait a minute…What?  Where was I when that happened?  Omigod, is Kimani OK?  Should I call his mother)?

Well, I didn’t call Kimani’s mother.  And I didn’t question Hayes at all about the alleged incident.  Instead, I decided to give it the good belly laugh it deserved and sleep well tonight, knowing that my boy is on his way to becoming the appreciative man I had always hoped he would be.