Paradise Lost Bit by Bit

My son got really intrigued by a box that I was hiding for the last 9 years. Up until yesterday, my son said he was able to resist the curiosity. So I finally let him see what was in it. We have many of those boxes on our shelves. Some are with memories from Japan, some are with memorabilia from our travels, things from our past, and one is with keepsakes from my son's babyhood.

He sat down on the floor by the coach and opened it in Hollywood style, slowly with great care and suspense. So finally the angel from the box cover that was guarding the secret spilled the beans! My son took our each object from his past. There was a pit from his first solid food, avocado, a piece of the dried up umbillical cord/belly button that fell off, champagne cork from the time we celebrated his first New Year, and bags and bags with my son's baby teeth. I kept every single one of them. My son looked at me and said with a great confidence but not without a note of disappointment, "I knew it! I knew there was no Tooth Fairy! You are the Tooth Fairy!" We laughed, but right after that I fell like something was lost to me and to my son. Paradise lost perhaps. The world full of Good and fairies was fading from us? From now on there is only dry taste of adult rational ways? I hope not!

Today again, right before bedtime my son whispered to in my ear that he had found all his letters to Santar. So he knows there is no Santa?! I refuse to admit it to him. We argued half - seriously, half - jokingly. But at the end of it he made me feel all warm and happy when he said, "but I still want to write Santa a letter. Can we do it tomorrow?" YESSSSS! And thank you! At least I get to hold on to that tradition this one more year!

I want to finish this post with a memory that has been written down in a special notebook we have. There are my son's funnies and interesting words written down for future reference. We read it every once in a while. The last time was when my son found his box. Here go three of the notes, my personal favourites.

October 20th, 2012, Japan
There is a poplar way of expressing in Polish that you don't understand something. This is relating to that expression. I use it all the time.

Olo: Mama! It is not fitting in my head! It is very much not fitting in my head!

Then there is a long silence. I am stunned by how well he uses this expression. I wait for more. So after a while...

Olo: But Mama! What does it mean that it is not fitting in my head?

February 17th, 20013. Japan
We are coming back from one of our day trips. We are driving through Nagano mountains . It is already a dark night. My little one at the back is still not falling asleep. You can see he is thinking and looking through the window, observing the Moon.
Olo: Tata, how much does it cost to go to the Moon?
Tata: About 20 million dollars.
Olo: Oh! So we ALL can go!

October 19th 2012
The same Moon  over Japan but a different date.
Look Mama how the Moon is riding with us! How come He has no hands?

Happy Wednesday, my friends!