photo by dolfi found here
Today’s guest post is by Kelsey , the editor of find a nanny. This story just made my heart melt and I knew I had to share it with everyone.
I don’t think people realize how much they affect a child’s day and even their life. Being an adult in a child’s eyes, you have the possibility of being the hero you always wanted to be. Sometimes it takes something as small as a giggle or smile to realize that you have become that hero in a child’s life and it doesn’t matter if you their parent, godfather, aunt or grandparent.
I have a large family and I am the oldest of 11 cousins at the age of 28 and I share the title with my twin. From us, comes a gaggle of silly, blonde headed blue eyed babes but there is one cousin that has particularly stolen my heart is Noah.
I was 22 when Noah was born and held him when he was 3 days old. He was very tiny and looked like a baby alien, the cutest baby alien I have ever seen. For the past six years I have had the joy of living within driving distance to make it to all of his first’: first birthday, first day of school, first tball, first meltdown, first crawl. You name it; I have tried my best to be there.
Two years ago, I got a phone call that literally stopped my heart. I had been out of town on a trip with some clients when my sister called me to tell me that Noah would be going through open heart surgery. At Noah’s 4 year checkup the doctors had found a murmur that turned out to be a congenital heart defect. That Thanksgiving Noah went in for open-heart surgery at the age of 4. They cracked open his little chest and fixed him.
I always knew that Noah had changed my life since they day he was born. I knew that this child was my little partner in crime, brat, sport, kid, boy, and sweetheart. I never realized how much I had impacted his life until the following day in the hospital when I went to go visit him.
The whole family was there and had been there by his side since he came out of surgery. Physically he was fine but hooked up to the machines, monitors and tubes he was lifeless emotionally. His parents (my aunt and uncle) had worry in their voice as they told me he was doing well but wasn’t himself. When I arrived saw his face I knew my little man wasn’t feeling good. I did my best to push back the tears and avoid running over to him and hugging him. He looked so tiny in the bed. The family sat and watched as I climbed into bed with him and handed him a present I bought him. A Star Wars cartoon book. At the age of 4 he was already and a nerd, a kid after my own heart.
He didn’t say anything when I handed it to him, so I told him I was going to read it to him. He looked at me with a big smile, nodded slowly. I started the book with a very bad rendition of the Star Wars theme song that sounded like something a Muppet would sing. Noah began to softly chuckle and I continued with the bad song. While I read he would silently look up at me and laugh then roll his eyes when I made ‘mistakes’. I finished the book and the nurses came in and told him it was time to try to walk.
He got scared and his smile went away. The nurses helped him out of bed with his IV pole trailing near him. He shuffled down the hall as the family followed him. He stopped and started to get scared and my hero powers ignited. I ran in front of him where he could see me and continued to dance, walk like a duck (noises included) and moonwalk as he walked toward me. My hero powers worked because his little feet shuffled faster and his smile beamed.
That was the day I learned that I meant the same to him as he meant to me. You never know when you impact a child’s life until you see that smile. As I left the hospital that day, his father pulled me aside and told me that they hadn’t seen him smile in 24 hours and that I was the only person that he did that with. From then on out he was happy. My heart filled with so much pride and love. I mattered in his life as much as he mattered in mine. Noah is now a healthy and silly, Star Wars loving 6 year old with a really cool scar that I tell him the ladies will love. He looks at me with curiosity in his big blue eyes and asks ‘huh?’
*****
Kelsey is the editor in chief for findananny. She loves to write article and ideas that parents & nannies would be interested in hearing. She helps society on giving information about nannies through online nanny finder. She is a professional writer & loves writing on any thing.
Linking up with Diary at SAHM
*****
Like what you have just read? Don’t miss a post and sign up to The Parenting Files via email, RSS or the monthly newsletter, which has extra goodies by the way.
And don’t forget to enter the fabulous giveaway where you can win Abigail the talking bunny and story book valued at $39.95. Competition closes 13th August at 5pm
