Isaac’s Drawing.

Isaac asked me yesterday what I did for work before he was born. My response was that I had several jobs during my young adult life … so did he want to know them all? He told me to pick the one I had when Daddy and I first starting dating…

Well, the truth is that when Halis and I first started dating … at the age of 15 … I worked this crappy, crappy job at a stateline liquor store (which apparently is now a smoke shop). Working there under the age of 18 would be totally illegal now. Maybe even under 21, I don’t know. And maybe it was even illegal then, but the guy who managed the place was my Dad’s friend and that is how I got the job. Basically, I sold lots and lots of beer. And though I have no problem with beer, I felt a little weird telling my 6-year old that when I was still a kid, I was selling liquor. (Not to mention that I walked to and from the store … a couple miles each way … in the dark … alone … through a sketchy part of town). But anyway … I saw that Isaac had a pen in hand as he was asking me this question, so assuming my answer might turn into some artwork … I lied.

I told Isaac about one of the next jobs I had … one that I am very proud of … I worked as a Nanny for the Trippier family from the time I was 18 to about 21 (when I left to get married and move to Maine). He liked that answer. He smiled. And then he went to ask Daddy the same question.

About 20 minutes later, my boy comes to me with this drawing:

I thought I knew what was going on in this drawing, but never wanting to assume … I asked him to explain. He told me that Daddy used to work at a sub shop when he started dating me (totally true) and that on the upper left hand corner is a picture of Daddy serving a sandwhich to a customer. He then explained that I am on the left of the drawing, serving green soda to one of the kids that I took care of. I smiled … (glad that he didn’t show a picture of me serving beer … but humored by the thought that the picture would probably look exactly the same either way).

I then looked at the baby-in-the-belly picture, and asked if this was a picture of him. He said yes … that the entire picture was showing what everyone was doing while he (Isaac) was waiting to be born inside of his birthmom, Marjorie. I then noticed that Marjorie was smiling in the picture, but that Daddy and I were frowning. When I asked him about this, he explained that we were unhappy because our baby wasn’t born yet … and that we were waiting for him … but that Marjorie was smiling because she knew he was going to be born soon.

Awesome. Truly awesome.

And it is in these sorts of random drawings that I learn more and more about what my boy is thinking … and how he views the world.

Enjoy your world today … especially your kiddos.

Love,
Jodi

Jodi Renshaw

About Jodi Renshaw

Jodi is a homeschooling Mom, a photographer, a wife, and a proud resident of the city of Bangor. She spends part of her time working at a locally-owned shop in the downtown area, part of her time homeschooling her favorite young man, and most of her time behind a camera lens. She often writes about adoption, family life, homeschooling, and community.