Cason Gregory. When Cason was a toddler he was nervous all the time. Anytime our routine changed he would have so many questions and concerns about all the unknown things. That is not to say he wasn’t a happy little boy who loved to play with his cars, his puzzles, read books with you, but one small inkling of abnormal and we were in for a treat.
One Sunday when Cason was 4 years old, I offered to take my mother-in-law to SAMs Club. We both grabbed a cart, I had my list, my children and off we went. We hadn’t been shopping for very long when the lights began to dim. I looked up the hours on my phone to find the closing time was 6 p.m and it was JUST before 6 p.m. I informed my MIL that they were closing soon and I started to grab the items I needed from my list. Cason began to freak out of me.
“Momma, they’re closing, let’s go!!”
“Momma, can we go check out now?”
“Momma, HURRY!!”
“Momma stop shopping, let’s go!!”
Me to my darling son, “Cason, HONEY, they aren’t going to lock us in the store and keep us here!”
“Momma…LET’S GO, PLEASE!!!”
When we FINALLY arrive to check out he was still freaking out; throwing my items onto the belt while chewing his nails. I finished my transaction and proceeded to help my MIL with her items, loading them back into her cart after they are scanned, all while Cason was shifting back and forth watching with wide pleading eyes. When MIL began to write her check, I took my cart to the woman who glances over the receipt. We got through those doors and I mentioned to the kids, “Let’s wait here for Grandma since its cold outside.”
“MOMMA NO…she’s still in there!! Let’s just go to the car!!!”
“You are gonna let Grandma stay in there by herself?”
“YES, LET’S GO!!!”
For YEARS after that shopping trip, Cason would ask what time the store/restaurant closed when we arrived. He wanted to ensure we had PLENTY of time!!
Now that he is 9 years old he has relaxed on that front. When I ask him a question about his day I get the standard, “Fine,” “Okay,” “Yes,” “No,” “Maybe” type of responses. I’ve learned that I have to ask him more open-ended questions: “What made you smile in school?” “What was the best part of your day?” “What is an interesting fact in science that you learned?”
Lately, he asks to go grocery shopping with me. I guess he’s over the traumatizing SAMs fiasco. He’ll push the cart, we’ll find something fun and act goofy. But, the absolute best conversations I have with him are the one-on-one car ride conversations. When I think he is going to open up to me, I’ll take the back roads home, or make an excuse to drive to the next town to get gas. Anything just to have a few more minutes with him.
My Darlin Cason, you are so bright, funny and loving. I am so excited about your future and can’t wait to see where this funny world is going to take you. But for now, I’ll take all the car rides and trips to the grocery store. I’m so beyond blessed to be your Momma!
