Replacement

Still in a dizzy mood from yesterday’s emails (I got a reply within a few hours!!) I was half-heartedly unloading the dishwasher when a glass slipped from my hand. 

Fortunately it didn’t smash but it landed still in the dishwasher on top of youngest son’s mug, the one with his name on that his Dad had bought him one Christmas.

The handle fell off!

I decided maybe I should abandon the domestic duties for the night and head off to bed.

This morning at breakfast it was time to face the music. I can't lie to my children.

“I have a confession.”

Youngest son looked at me suspiciously. He’s heard enough confessions in his time on Simon Mayo’s Drive-time, it’s his favourite feature.

I showed him the broken mug and his face crumpled.

It was then I remembered something stashed away in the cupboard ready for such an occasion as this.

A Star Wars mug I’d picked up from the church shop around the same time as Andrew had bought the mug with the name on. The Star Wars mug remained hidden partly because it’s one of those noisy ones. Every time you lift it up you hear Yoda speaking alternating with the theme tune which doesn’t stop when the mug is put down but continues till the bitter end.

However I had bought it for such an occasion as this and breaking the old mug was my mistake to fix.

His eyes lit up when I presented it to him. 

It was oldest son’s turn to look at me despairingly, the look that said “what did you give him that for?”

I decided to use the opportunity provided to have a little mother to son talk on a topic I have been developing with him since Christmas. He is adamant that I will not be replacing his father with another man. He will stay with me forever instead.

“You know that conversation about not replacing your Dad?  Well this is not a replacement mug.  You can still keep the old one to put pens in on your desk but it’s broken so you can’t use it as a mug. Just like your Dad it can’t be mended and we can't have things the way they were.” 

“I prefer this one,” was his nonchalant reply as the theme tune from Star Wars once more filled the air.

Not the answer I was expecting but maybe a sign that kids can adapt to circumstances better than we think or give them credit for.

Time will tell.