Mother's Intuition

Last week, I had to go leave the kids with Jamie for a few hours. It was dark outside, by the time I got home. I didn't have a key with me, and I could see Jadon sitting in the chair watching a video. He saw me peeking through the window, but just sat there and smirked at me (rotten boy!). Jamie was nowhere in sight, and I thought, "Where in the world is my husband, and why in the world is Jadon all by himself???"

I tried knocking a million times, but no Jamie. I could see the kids' bedroom light was on, but the door was closed. I thought, "Surely he wouldn't be in the room with the door closed, and leave Jadon in the living room!" I tried calling the house from my cell phone. Nothing...well nothing but a smirking 2 year old who only had time for his DVD. FINALLY, Jamie came around the corner from our bedroom with a towel-wrapped Macy. "Ummm...hi. Hello?"

A little later I explained to my husband, the father of my two small children that I did not think it was safe to leave Jadon in the living room for so long by himself, no matter how child-proof our house seems to be. Yes, I knew all of the doors were closed. Yes, I knew there were covers on all of outlets and locks on all of the cabinets.

"Jamie, I just know there is ALWAYS something he could get into, when he is by himself. I mean, he could climb up on his high chair and grab a knife, or he could pull on a blind cord just the right way, and get it wrapped around his neck. You just never know!"

I knew my husband was hearing my words, but it seemed more like I was the teacher and he was Charlie Brown. "Whawhawhawha whawhawha..."

Fast forward to Sunday morning...I was in our master bathroom getting ready for church, and had Macy sitting at my feet. Jamie was in the spare bathroom taking a shower. Jadon was watching a video, so I figured I had time to dry my hair quickly, since he seemed to be in a trance, fixated on the TV. I turned the hair dryer on, but something made me stop. I turned it off, listened, thought I heard the tiny wheels of cars moving around, and figured all was well in the VERY NEXT ROOM. I yelled, "Jadon, do you want to read Green Eggs and Ham?" Mind you, it had only been 120 seconds, since I laid eyes on him IN THE NEXT ROOM.

I turned the hair dryer back on, only to feel something inside of me say, "No you need to stop and go lay eyes on him. He could be into something. You just never know, better safe than sorry." I picked up Macy, and as I rounded the corner, realized that Jadon was not where he was just two minutes prior. Oh, there he is...in the kitchen...standing on his high chair...WITH A KNIFE IN HIS HANDS!!! Oh. My. LORD!

This was not any knife. This was a seven inch long, very sharp knife!

"Hey, buddy. Umm...just sit still. Be careful. Put the knife back, and Mama will come and pick you up, okay?"

I heard Jamie coming out of the shower, so I had Jadon sit still on the counter, and had Daddy Dearest come and witness his son's attempt at giving his wife a heart attack. The look in Jamie's eyes said it all. "Oh, I get it now. Okay." (I didn't stop to take a pic of Jadon for this one, nor did I have him reinact it later.)

Jamie is a WONDERFUL father. I just think women and men think very differently. There is an instinctive Mama Bear, what could kill my kid thing that goes on with us. I'm in a constant state of what if, what could, what will...are my babies safe??? My mom says it will be that way, until the day I die, and I believe her. Good thing I know God gave me the natural ability to read their sneaky little minds, so I can head off disaster while they're little. Once they are older, I think that turns into nagging and/or gray hair and wrinkles.

Thanks for saving my life so many times, when I was little, Mom...like the time I ate an ENTIRE BOTTLE of Flintstone vitamins or when I ate the stuffing out of a bean bag chair or the time I...