Deep Thoughts From A Nine-Year-Old

I had an interesting conversation with my boy the other day. If you recall, I forced the poor child to help me purge the junk from his closet earlier this week.

One of our tasks was to pack up some unused items so that they could be stored in the attic. All the really great toys are being saved in the event that the boy gives us grandchildren one day. Knock on wood.

The boy reminded me of how he used to want to save everything for his "baby brother." If memory serves me right, the I-want-a-brother phase started right after he turned two. Every night, before he went to sleep, the boy would pray, "God, please send me a brother to play with." It was really quite sweet.

Unfortunately, it was not meant to be.

Over the years, the boy has come to accept the fact that he is an only child. It doesn't bother him, in fact, he has embraced the many benefits of his sibling-free life. His favorite thing... undivided attention from mom and dad.

As we were finishing our work on the closet, the boy told me that he is a little worried that God may indeed answer his prayers. Now that he is nine, he is fully aware of what a new baby would mean... A bundle of joy that spends all it's time crying, eating and sleeping. He was concerned about what a nap schedule would do to his routine.

He also realizes that, at this point, the age difference would be staggering. I guess it's not as appealing to have a brother that would barely be starting elementary school at the same time that he is heading off to college.

I tried to assure my boy that everything would be OK and that he shouldn't worry... That the odds of us having another baby were slim to none. Should God decide to do the unexpected, it would be a blessing, even though it might be a hard adjustment on all of us.

I will admit that I was a little surprised to hear that my boy had given the subject so much consideration. He never ceases to amaze me by his deep and profound thoughts. Sometimes he seems so much older than nine.