Sympathy And Belly Buttons

 

I realize I usually post about the harrowing experiences of motherhood but yesterday I had one of those sweet aww moments that I thought deserved recognition.

Little S is sick she was sent home from school with a hacking cough and slight fever. We had spent the day watching every kid movie ever made; Puss in Boots, Shrek, Barney Searches for the Wreck of the Titanic, Diego Makes Calamari With Some Cute, Bug Eyed, Squid He Doesn't Rescue. If  they made it we watched it. Anyway it was around 5 or as I like to call it the hour when all children hit the wall and start to freak out, when I gave S a bath. In the bath S took a long look at her navel and suddenly announced in horror "My outty is now an iny!" and promptly burst into tears.

I took her out of the bath and explained it was ok all bodies changed. Causing her to only cry harder with those big sobbing bursts only a sick, totally unreasonable, child could make.It was at that point B came home from Hebrew school.  He went up to his crying sister and gently asked her what was wrong. S relayed her grim tale shaking with grief for the belly button that once was.

B pulled up her pajama top looked at her traitorous navel and asked her to stand up and suck in her belly. Slowly choking back tears S did as she was told and looked down. The button protruded and looked an awful lot like an outy.

She cried in joy and threw her arms around her big brother. B then went over to his back pack and produced a coloring book and gave it to her saying, "I got this for good behavior but I think you need it more than I do." She smiled up at her hero with love and devotion in her eyes. I paused and took a mental photograph of the wonderful, empathetic, little boy I had helped to create.

Then B farted and they both started laughing and running around the house like a cat on roller skates with a bad case of gas.