Guess what he got, shortly after this.

Yesterday we said a tearful goodbye to our friends Sarah and Tallulah. Or rather, I was tearful--it's sort of my resting state these days--and Henry was sulky. As we walked home he asked me why I looked sad.

"I'm going to miss our friends," I said. And Henry replied, "I'm not going to miss them."

"Really," I said.

He stopped walking and clenched his fists. "I'm not going to miss them," he wept, "Because I. AM NOT. MOVING."

I picked him up. He dampened my shirt with his tears. Then wiped his nose on me for good measure.

"I don't want to move," he said. "I want a cookie."

Comments

[Beth]

Poor little boy. I can just imagine that everything feels so much more chaotic and mysterious than it does for the grownups. He'll do fine, of course, and with his energy he'll make so many new friends -- and so will you. And you can visit the old ones. Oh, I just want to hug you both. *hug*

[jess]

Poor henry. Poor you. It will all be okay, better than okay, think of the big, beautiful house.

[Nancy]

Oh, Henry. Please don't make me cry.

[Sara]

Oh dear. Now I want a cookie too. Best of luck on your move!

[Angela Kriger]

I moved 3 times under the age of 7, and I can still vividly remember each time and how difficult it was. Even so, I always learned to love the new places we lived and now I appreciate all the different exposures I had to the world as a child. Henry is an absolute angel, and I think he'll adjust beautifully--particularly if you continue to feed him cookies! (And feel free to send any extras my way...)

[nate]

Oh Henry. You made me cry. Humpf.

[Christy]

I remember being so angry about having to move when I was 5 that I broke a pencil. Right in half! I was so astounded at my own strength at being able to break a pencil in half that I momentarily forgot my pain.

Give Henry lots of hugs from me, and tell him I hope he has fun squatting at your old place.

[Star Shine]

Glad he got a cookie. I hope you had one too! Hang in there!!!

[jennster]

awwww- he'll be fine though. i just moved my son from so cal to nor cal, and for the most part (aside from mentioning he'd like to go "back home" weekly) he's really fine. wait, this didn't help huh?

[Katharine]

Poor guy. How about heavier bribery? C got a toy he had been loooonging for waiting for him in his new room at the new house. Definitely helped on the day. That said, it was officially crappy for a good three months, some very pointed questions about when the moving trucks were coming back. But now, six monhts later, I don't think he'd like to change a thing.

[Lisa (the girls' moma)]

We move a lot too, thanks to the military, but our next move will be the first one our oldest daughter will notice. And I imagine her reaction will be much like that.

I want a cookie too. And a tissue (sniff).

[Beverlee]

You'll have to have "come and visit us at our new house" party with Sarah and Tallulah as soon as you can!

[Deb]

Awww....it IS so hard.Thanks for sharing so much bittersweet moving agony! Henry shall surely be on the stage someday and you are seriously the absolute SWEETEST Mama.

[Meera]

I moved, on the average, once every three years, from birth through age 33. Moving Sucks. It's true. There's nothing I hate more.

But you know what? Recently I have been itching to live someplace new. We have been in our current house since 1998. That's eight years? wow. Now with more roots: two boys, ages 3 and 6, and a husband who has lived in the same county all his 58 years.

I remember, when I was six, sobbing about having to move AGAIN. And then we did (and did again, and again, and again) and I have experienced all kinds of people and places and circumstances and while I sometimes feel like a chameleon, I can also connect with most everyone on some level. Change is good.

The moral of my story: You're doing the right thing. You're acknowledging Henry's grief, and moving on.

And cookies can't hurt.

[FredB]

Frankly, sadness is perfectly justified in this instance.I mean, really, what the chance of making another friend named Tallulah? I'm 33 and I have yet to find one.

[Kira]

My sons and I just moved this February. One morning we were eating breakfast and my four year old suddenly exclaimed with great joy, "THERE IS STILL CINNAMON TOAST!"It was a source of great comfort for him that I could still weild the cinnamon sugar shaker.

[Kira]

Wield. Gah.

[Andrea]

I want a box of Kleenex, now. And a hug. We sometimes forget how new things are to our little people. But hell, even the thought of moving away from people I care about makes me sad and I'm 28. Tough lesson to learn.

[Jessie]

I hope he got a lot of hugs in addition to the cookie (though, I'm sure he did) because it sounds like you could both use them. I also hope that you both love living in the new house so much that you're not sad for much longer.

[Lora]

Have you read him the book "Alexander, who is Absolutely, Positively Not Going to Move" yet? Cute book and nice ending.

[Emily]

OH HENRY! He'll change his mind once you move. I cried the entire 3 1/2 hour drive when we moved from Houston to Austin. And I'm only mildly messed up.

And thanks you so much for posting such nice things about the party and your "nice friend Emily." You guys DESERVED it and it was our pleasure!

[PK]

Ohhhh no.

[Stacie]

When we moved to our "new" house, the now 6yo's only concern was if we were going to bring his then 6mo brother.

Oh, and the dog. And his toys. He was really excited about moving to "his" house.

He was four at the time.

[OTRgirl]

Sigh. Cookies with a milk chaser cover a multitude of wounds. (Did you see the Dooce cookie extravaganza? Legal drug use, I'm telling you.)

You're a great writer. And a great Mom.

[Jerri Ann]

awwwwwwwwww cookies usually work for me too...sadly