Little Boys

To a little boy, trickle of water in a creek bed & a small newspaper boat become an adventure on the high seas.
Paper airplanes can soar to amazing heights,
and a cardboard box can be just about anything.
Little Boys are invincible, they are unstoppable.
In their heads, they are super heroes, and firemen.
They are fighter pilots and race car drivers.
They are ninjas, soldiers, and cowboys.
Little Boys explore the deepest, darkest jungles.
They can rescue the princess and slay the dragon. They can wrestle alligators and sharks, and tame lions, all without leaving the backyard.
Little Boys are skinned knees and elbows, tossled hair and smudged cheeks,
They are toy soldiers inside your shoe, and science projects under the bed.
And they crawl into your lap & tell you that you're the "very best girl in the world".
And then all at once they discover girls, music, and cars
They talk of guitars and engines, of dates and school dances,
and the girl that sits next to them in math class.
They talk about all of their big plans and the places they'll go.
And then comes the day, they bring home a girl to meet you.
And you have to try so hard not to be sad when you realize that you are not the "very best girl " anymore.
Then you have to hold tightly to your collection of memories.
The macaroni necklace for Mother's Day, the artwork on the fridge, the green crayon mural on the bathroom wall, the boxes of photos, and the smell of their hair after a bath.
But that's okay.
Really, I will be fine. I've come to understand that even though
I may not always be his "very best girl", in my heart, he will always be, my little boy.