Band-Aids

I walked by the bathroom today and saw the Neosporin and a box of Band-Aids out on the counter.  I wondered for just a second who had left them out and then I remembered that on Monday, I noticed that Nate had a Band-Aid on his belly.  I asked what it was for and he told me that he had gotten hurt in PE.  He took off the Band-Aid and showed me his sore.  Sure enough, it was an angry red scrape and it started to bleed a bit when it wasn't covered.  I gave him a hug and kiss and told him I was sorry he was hurt.  That was Monday.  He's been replacing his Band-Aid every day since then...all by himself!  I didn't even notice, but I know that he has because there are dozens of wrappers in the garbage can.
It is bittersweet for me.  I don't know why it hit me so hard, but it's just one of many things that Nate is doing on his own these days.  He can shower, dress himself head to toe, do his homework, read, work the DVR, and wash and cut an apple.  That kid can even make his own toast.  If he were stranded at home alone for a day, he could survive on fruit and toast and TV shows.
I've just had so many people relying on me for so long that it really is bittersweet to realize this with Nate.  It's always nice to know your kids are learning and growing.  I'm glad that he can gain more independence.  It's a good thing.  It's just that it changes my life.
I was in the middle of these thoughts of Nate's independence when the phone rang.  It was the school nurse and she had Nate in her office.  I guess he had fallen at recess and had gotten a scrape on his head.  She assured me that it was no big deal, but the school policy is to inform the parents if there is ever an injury involving the head.  She told me that he was totally fine but that he wanted to talk to me.
Nate's little voice came on the line and I could hear the quiver on his lips as I asked him if he was okay.  He said that he was, but he clung to my reassuring words and promises of a hug and kiss when he got back home.  He told me that his head hurt and I told him he could go find Allie for a hug if he wanted to.  He said he'd be fine without it.  I told him I was sorry and that I loved him.  His voice quavered again and he told me he loved me and handed the phone back to the nurse.  We said our goodbyes and I hung up feeling the guilt of knowing that there are tears on a face a few miles away that I wish I could kiss away.
I came back into my room to finish this post.  I had started out talking about how Nate doesn't need me anymore and it wasn't 5 minutes into those thoughts before I got the call of his need.  He might be able to do a whole lot of things on his own now that he's getting to be such a big boy, but he'll always need his mom.  He really will always need me.  There isn't a day of my life in this world that I won't need my mom.  Even if we don't talk every day, I know that she is thinking of me and praying for me.  I need that.
I pray for my kids.  I pray for them every day and I think of each one of them every day all throughout the day (including Sam).  That's what I signed up for when I became a mom.  I don't know that I realized that when they placed Jake in my arms, but I know it now.  These kids will grow up around me and some part of them will need me less and less.  They won't need me to put on the Band-Aids (literal and figurative) but they will always need the things that I will never tire of offering.  They need my unconditional love.  They need my advise and my prayers.  They will always need me and I'll always be there for them.  It's a wonderful cycle.
...All of this comes from a box of Band-Aids and a tube of Neosporin on an otherwise clean bathroom counter top.  :)