lil j, the gentleman {proud mommy moment!}

Today I had the proudest mommy moment.  Like for serious.  We were at a local mall which has a free kids play area and, it being a Saturday, I knew it would be extremely busy.  When we arrived, I had my little talk with Lil J about being nice to all the other kids, don't play too rough, don't be mad {expressing his emotions is a big thing for him right now - "I'm mad", "I'm sad", I'm this, I'm that} and make sure you watch out for babies.

So off Lil J went to make new friends and burn off his never-ending energy.  I was entertaining Baby Z while hubby was making sure Lil J stayed in line and wasn't trampled by some rough-housing older boys.  About half an hour into it, I looked up for the millionth time to double-check that Lil J was okay {it's a mom thing!} and made eye contact with the hubs who motioned to me with a smile to look at what Lil J was up to.

And then I saw the cutest thing ever.  He was following this little girl around the entire play area - making sure she was safe, touching her with the softest touch to make sure she was okay and enjoying herself, and talking to her even though she was ignoring him.  Granted, the girl couldn't have been more than a year and a half old, and Lil J basically became her bodyguard/stalker.

Then, as they were hanging out at the top of the slide, Lil J noticed the girl had lost her sock and was completely oblivious to it.  He picked up her sock, tapped her on the arm and I could see him telling her that she had lost her sock and that he would put it back on for her.  I wasn't sure if the little girl would understand him and instantly braced for some preschool disappointment.  Then, the girl looked at Lil J, lifted her foot up and brought it towards him.  He carefully put her sock back on her tiny feet and made sure it was secure.  I looked towards my hubby, smiling in awe, and saw the little girl's parents doing the same.

To see our son being such a gentleman at 3 1/2 makes me so proud.  They say parenting has it's rewards and today ours was seeing our son acting years beyond his age and knowing that we're raising him in ways that fit with our standards.  I want him to say please, thank you, excuse me and you're welcome.  I want him to respect his elders.  I want him to be courteous and polite, patient and caring.  I want him to be gentle with other kids and be a gentleman towards girls.  There are many things that I want for him as a person and, so far, I think {I hope!} we're doing something right.

I'm incredibly proud of you baby!