his mind.
“Jordan, you have a baby now. This munchkin needs a Christmas tree. And it’s more than just one day, it’s an entire season. Get a tree,” she stated in a tone that brooked no argument.
Jordan grunted, just as he used to do when those notorious letters arrived from his teachers, but he grudgingly accepted that, in this case, his mother was probably right.
He had never bothered with decorating for the holidays when it was just him, but now that he had Mason, he had to think about the kind of childhood he wanted his son to have. Some of his fondest memories as a boy were from Christmas. His parents went out of their way to make this time of the year special for both him and Sandra. He wanted Mason to have the opportunity to make those same memories.
“Okay,” Jordan said. “We’ll get a tree today.”
His mother gave him a firm, regal nod, as if she never doubted he wouldn’t do just as she’d requested. She turned her attention back to Mason.
“Now that that’s settled, why don’t we go into the kitchen? Grandma has a special treat for you.”
“What’s new about that? You always have a special treat for him,” Jordan said as he followed her to the kitchen.
“Oh, hush,” she called over her shoulder. “If I have to wear the title of grandmother, then I want to enjoy all the privileges, which includes spoiling my grandson.”
She retrieved a package from the pantry. “I ran across these organic fruit chews the other day. I figured any healthy snack is a good snack. Let’s just hope he likes them.”
Perched in his grandmother’s lap at the breakfast table, Mason took the dried fruit between his stubby fingers and immediately started to devour it. The smile on his mother’s face stretched to the Massachusetts state line.
“Yes!” she said. “Score one for Grandma Nancy.”
“I hope you bought a case. He’s at this stage where he gets fixated on a certain thing and that’s all he wants. Last week it was canned peaches.”
“I’ll make sure Millie picks up a few more boxes when she does this week’s grocery shopping,” his mother said, referring to the live-in housekeeper who had been with their family for years. “But you do know that you shouldn’t let him have too much of any one thing, even if it is healthy. Not that I’m trying to tell you how to raise your son,” his mother quickly interjected.
“I know,” Jordan said. She made a point not to butt in, as she called it. Unless it concerned Christmas trees. Apparently, all bets were off when it came to proper holiday preparations.
Jordan walked over to the fridge and grabbed a can of soda. “I try to practice moderation as much as possible, but I’ve been somewhat lax these past few days. Mason’s been fussier than normal lately. If I find something to appease him, I’m doing it.”
“What’s got you fussy, huh?” his mother asked, smoothing a hand over Mason’s head.
“I don’t know what it is,” Jordan said. “Maybe he’s missing Laurie? He’s used to having her around.”
“How long will she be gone?”
“Until after the New Year.”
Jordan groaned just thinking about it. He appreciated his housekeeper/nanny, and paid her well because of it, but he didn’t realize just how much she handled until she’d left for this extended vacation.
Maybe that was why he was feeling off-kilter. With Laurie gone and him stuck at the house all day, things seemed out of whack. He needed his life to return to normal.
“I’m thinking about maybe shortening my leave of absence,” Jordan said. “I’m not used to sitting around the house doing nothing.”
“You are not doing ‘nothing,’ Jordan,” his mother said. She stood and brought Mason over to him. “You are enjoying the holidays with your son. Do you even realize how lucky you are? Your father would have loved to have weeks off around the holidays to spend with you kids, but it was a luxury he couldn’t afford. He was always too busy with
“Jordan, you have a baby now. This munchkin needs a Christmas tree. And it’s more than just one day, it’s an entire season. Get a tree,” she stated in a tone that brooked no argument.
Jordan grunted, just as he used to do when those notorious letters arrived from his teachers, but he grudgingly accepted that, in this case, his mother was probably right.
He had never bothered with decorating for the holidays when it was just him, but now that he had Mason, he had to think about the kind of childhood he wanted his son to have. Some of his fondest memories as a boy were from Christmas. His parents went out of their way to make this time of the year special for both him and Sandra. He wanted Mason to have the opportunity to make those same memories.
“Okay,” Jordan said. “We’ll get a tree today.”
His mother gave him a firm, regal nod, as if she never doubted he wouldn’t do just as she’d requested. She turned her attention back to Mason.
“Now that that’s settled, why don’t we go into the kitchen? Grandma has a special treat for you.”
“What’s new about that? You always have a special treat for him,” Jordan said as he followed her to the kitchen.
“Oh, hush,” she called over her shoulder. “If I have to wear the title of grandmother, then I want to enjoy all the privileges, which includes spoiling my grandson.”
She retrieved a package from the pantry. “I ran across these organic fruit chews the other day. I figured any healthy snack is a good snack. Let’s just hope he likes them.”
Perched in his grandmother’s lap at the breakfast table, Mason took the dried fruit between his stubby fingers and immediately started to devour it. The smile on his mother’s face stretched to the Massachusetts state line.
“Yes!” she said. “Score one for Grandma Nancy.”
“I hope you bought a case. He’s at this stage where he gets fixated on a certain thing and that’s all he wants. Last week it was canned peaches.”
“I’ll make sure Millie picks up a few more boxes when she does this week’s grocery shopping,” his mother said, referring to the live-in housekeeper who had been with their family for years. “But you do know that you shouldn’t let him have too much of any one thing, even if it is healthy. Not that I’m trying to tell you how to raise your son,” his mother quickly interjected.
“I know,” Jordan said. She made a point not to butt in, as she called it. Unless it concerned Christmas trees. Apparently, all bets were off when it came to proper holiday preparations.
Jordan walked over to the fridge and grabbed a can of soda. “I try to practice moderation as much as possible, but I’ve been somewhat lax these past few days. Mason’s been fussier than normal lately. If I find something to appease him, I’m doing it.”
“What’s got you fussy, huh?” his mother asked, smoothing a hand over Mason’s head.
“I don’t know what it is,” Jordan said. “Maybe he’s missing Laurie? He’s used to having her around.”
“How long will she be gone?”
“Until after the New Year.”
Jordan groaned just thinking about it. He appreciated his housekeeper/nanny, and paid her well because of it, but he didn’t realize just how much she handled until she’d left for this extended vacation.
Maybe that was why he was feeling off-kilter. With Laurie gone and him stuck at the house all day, things seemed out of whack. He needed his life to return to normal.
“I’m thinking about maybe shortening my leave of absence,” Jordan said. “I’m not used to sitting around the house doing nothing.”
“You are not doing ‘nothing,’ Jordan,” his mother said. She stood and brought Mason over to him. “You are enjoying the holidays with your son. Do you even realize how lucky you are? Your father would have loved to have weeks off around the holidays to spend with you kids, but it was a luxury he couldn’t afford. He was always too busy with
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