An Object of Affection

My little boy has written me more love notes than all my beaux combined. They end up buried in piles of stuff on my bedside table, or the top of my dresser where I plop half-worn clothes, or the side of the desk where I work. I don't think I've ever discarded one, but I don't know where most of them have gone. I have a shoebox, so old that the cardboard edges are starting to degrade into single-ply paper, where I store some mementos, like letters from friends abroad, and movie ticket stubs from when my husband and I started dating. I don't put my kid's stuff in there; his creative output, our slices of his childhood, seem worthy of a more honorable place in the house, although I can't figure out what that place is. My favorite way to keep them is on display, but there is only so much corkboard available.

I wonder how he comes up with his ideas for such flowery prose. The general sentiment is pure, childlike sweetness: You're the best mom / You're so kind / I love you. A few times I've seen it get more specific, as in, "Mom, you brighten the world." He even used a similar phrase in a recent love note to his dad, who rarely (as far as I know) get these special deliveries. This makes me think that it's a metaphor he learned recently, perhaps in a book he read at school. I'm also curious if the whole endeavor is inspired by some social-emotional learning aspect of the curriculum. Maybe he's subconsciously sharing lessons about caring for other people and expressing one's feelings. Occasionally he's asked me to draft a note in reply, and I am more than happy to express my love for him in writing.

He's a very literal person, and sometimes his letters include details that offer extra EXTRA clarity. They usually start with "Dear Mom," but sometimes the greeting expands to "Dear Mom (Kristen)." The latest one, currently sitting on my desk, signs off with "From: your child, <his name>." I made the mistake of almost chuckling at that when he gave it to me, and I saw his face fall just a tiny bit. He wants to be a good writer, I think, and takes his phrasing seriously.

I'm pretty sure the notes are often intended to butter me up or atone for some malfeasance. Lately I've been a little harsher on him that I want to be, as some of his responsible habits (putting dirty clothes in the hamper, etc.) have degraded. I often start feeling guilty the moment I walk away after delivering a reprimand. Imagine my relief when I get letter a short time later that says "You're the best person in the whole world." I wonder if that's his way of saying sorry for being disobedient, or a plea for me to soften before I talk to him again. Either way it's a smart move, and it always makes me blush as if I've received a valentine.