Will is nearly two-and-half years-old, a bundle of energy and the-life-of-the-party kind of child.
Everything about him is big sans his physical size.
He doesn’t walk into a room. He runs. He doesn’t just say “Hi!” He hollers “Hello!” He also hops up and down like he’s just won the “Showcase Showdown” on the Price is Right - just to make sure he has your attention.
But for the last few weeks he’s been obsessed with gauging the overall mood of the family. Each morning and each night and about a dozen or so times in between he asks the same series of questions.
“God good?”
“Mommy good?”
“Daddy good?”
“Ri-Ri good?”
“Aa-Aa good?
“May-May good?”
“Ri-Ri” is short for his seven-year-old brother, Riley. “Aa-Aa” is his nearly one-year-old brother, Alex. “May-May” is Macy, the family dog.
Assurances received, he charges off on another adventure, pleased and placated, glad to know that all is right with his world.
The repetitive and admittedly humorous exercise serves to remind me of a fundamental but simple truth:
Even before the cares of the world press in upon them, children want to know that things are “good” within the walls of a home. They find security in a smile. They find peace in a pat on the back.
“The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother,” said the Reverend Theodore Hesburgh, the one-time president of Notre Dame.
In other words, children need to know that things are “good” between mom and dad. That’s because when things are good, children have the best chance to live a great life.
Contributed by Paul Batura
