It was late.
Josh walked into the kitchen where I was trying to wrap up the evening and straighten up from dinner. Also well past bedtime.
“Mom, you know that paper airplane you said you’d work on with me?”
“Yes, sure. Mmmhmm. I’m sorry son. It’s pretty late now. We’ll have to figure out another time.”
I turned around to keep going at the tasks but I caught his crestfallen look.
“Well,” he said, “We’ll just have to do it in the morning,” and he dropped his head to the table.
I furrowed my brow.
“Ummm…. yeah, we’ll have to pick another time because mornings tend to be a little crazy.”
“But MOM!!!! IT’S DUE TOMORROW!!!!”
What.
WHAT.
What is this new bit of information.
“I’m sorry, it’s DUE?? You did not tell me this was a school assignment. Or that it had an expiry date. You simply told me you’d like for me to help you make a paper airplane.”
Then it all came tumbling out. At 9:00 at night.
“Yeah mom, we’re all supposed to make paper airplanes then we’re going to fly them on Thursday and then there will be finals on Friday for the ones who fly the furthers.”
Glory be. I get the whole story. I wiped my eyes and then slowly opened them. Yep, he was still there.
“Josh,” *sigh* “Next time, please communicate with mommy better. Tell me that it is a SCHOOL ASSIGNMENT and there is a timeline and a due date.” I saw his concern and earnestness… and Josh needed grace in this moment. That boy is always in level-up mode.
“OK, here’s the deal: you go to bed and mommy is going to make you a paper airplane. One that will WIN. OK?”
Every once in awhile I get to be the hero and this was my moment. Plus, I’m good at these projects.
So I do what every modern mom does… c’mon over here YouTube and pull up a chair. I quickly found someone who had put up videos of how to fold champion paper airplanes that would fly the distance. So I got my paper and my scissors and set to work. It was pretty fun and I produced a flier that I was sure would win.
The next morning, Josh got up and I showed him his plane. He was ecstatic. He flew it in the house, but of course, we couldn’t really see how far it would go in the confines of the four walls.
When he jumped out of the car, I literally sent that boy off to school with a wing and a prayer. I’ll take paper airplanes over spirit week any day.
Fast-forward through the day and it came time to pick the boys up. They piled in the car and after everyone buckled I asked, “Hey Josh… how did it go?”
Him: “It flew…. ok.”
Me: “Ahhh, shoot. Not as we had hoped?”
Him: “Nahh…. it flew ok, but not as far as some others. I didn’t make it into the ‘finals’.”
Me: “I’m sorry son. We had high hopes for it.”
We paused the conversation for a second, then after a few minutes he chimed back in.
Him: “I made a paper airplane for my friend.”
Me: “Oh really?”
Him: “Yeah, he didn’t have one and I made one for him. He made it into the finals tomorrow!”
Me: “Josh, that’s fantastic. You made your friend a plane and that friend made it into the finals WITH THE PLANE YOU MADE HIM! In a way… you made it into the finals.”
Him: “Well, no I didn’t mom… it’s not my plane…”
Me: “But you MADE it for him… so a piece of you also went into the finals.”
He paused a thought hard.
Him: “OOOOOHHH! HAHA! Mom! Now I see! I see what you’re saying. Yes. YES. I guess I did, didn’t I.”
After we had a good laugh, I looked at him in the rearview mirror.
“Josh, when mommy does something to serve you and I watch you take that and go do something great, it’s as if I just did something great.”
He looked at me and smiled. “Mom, I get that. I totally get that now.”
I wouldn’t trade these car rides for anything in the world.
Next time, he’ll fold his own plane. But this time, I got to be a part of the process. His airplane may not have made the finals, but in this moment, right here, his heart is going the distance, hero cape and all.
-UPDATE-
Josh got in the car the other day and told me, “Mom… my friend WON the entire thing!!!”
I’m so proud of my boy, not only for taking initiative for his friend, but how proud he was for the win.
I thought I was going in for the “hero” cape and my son just grabbed it and flew. And I couldn’t be more happy about that.
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An American humorist, writer and author. When boiling down the chicken soup of life, she finds those golden, fried nuggets of truth & writes them long after the kids go to bed.
