Big Boy Choices

He’s only six. Well, technically Jace is six and a half years old now. We did just celebrate his half birthday the other day! However, the number of years he’s been alive is deceiving. He’s so strong in spirit and has an incredible heart...he often seems more grown up to me.

We’re at Disney World. Today we came back to our room for naps at lunch time and Jace looked really warn out. He got up after his nap and sat in a daze for a few minutes while we were getting ready to go back to the parks. He told Scott he had to throw up…and did.

Scott put it this way, “It was like a switch. He lifted the toilet seat and blaht. Most of it made it in the toilet too.” There was definitely a hint of pride in Dada's description.

So, we decided to hang out for a while and let him rest before trying to walk around for a few more hours. An hour later he said he was ready to go. He’d eaten some grapes and had some water and kept everything down so we went for it. As we were walking to the bus stop he just kind of plodded along. Jace doesn’t skip, so plodding isn’t all that unexpected, but matched with the dark circles under his eyes and the ashen color in his cheeks…he just didn’t look ready to have fun. When we got to the bus stop I asked him one last time.

“Jace, if you’re still not feeling good I’ll stay with you. What would you like to do?”

Quietly, he said. “I think I should stay.”

So, Tyler, Jace and I walked back to the room for some R&R. Along the way I told him I was proud of him for making such a hard decision. He said, “It was hard, mama, because it would have been fun, but not if I was sick.” He’s right and I couldn’t have said it better.

Later, after he threw up again and the color started to return to his cheeks we walked to the food court to pick up dinner. When we went past the pool he made a few comments about the swimmers and the life guards. The best one, that let me know he was feeling much more like himself, was, “It’s good that the life guards are here to save people because you can’t enjoy Disney World if you’re dead.”

And that’s Jace. I’ve never sure if he’s being funny or serious. He certainly keeps a proud smile on my face! And when we got back to the room he ate his dinner (and kept it down), told me how much he enjoyed spending time with just Tyler and me and that he hoped Dada and Gracie were having a good time at Magic Kingdom. Could anyone ask for a more precious six and a half year old son? I don’t think so.