Throaty Little Giggles Burst Forth

There are dark times in parenting young children. Dark, sleep-deprived days and nights filled with heavy sighs, creased foreheads, rolling tears, and sometimes great big, heaving giant sobs in front of the bathroom mirror where you have closed the door so you can have just a minute, just one freakin’ minute to yourself. There are days when things get spilled and slammed and thrown and time-outs come flying out of the kitchen faster than you can count to three because let’s face it, sometimes you don’t need to count to three. Sometimes you’re way past three and moving fast towards ten Hail Marys and an Our Father.


It’s hard to remember during those dark, bone-tired days that just around the corner is a day like today. A day when I could not seem to get anything done because every time I peaked around a kitchen cabinet, old Charlie was giving me the biggest shy-guy smile he could throw my way and I would just fall over with joy. I kept trying to get this kid to take a snooze today, but for some odd reason, Charlie would not nap. For some odd reason this five-month-old could not keep his eyes closed longer than twenty minutes. I was puzzled by how alert he was until I realized what was going on.

Today was the day Charlie finally realized that his mommy is hilarious.

I mean the kid simply could not stop laughing at my jokes. And I was shameless. I made noises I’ve never made before just to hear that throaty little giggle burst forth out of his giant baby duck mouth. I found every tickle spot—the crease just inside his chubby little thighs, the spot just beneath his giggly little chin, and the underarmpitties, those delectable little underarmpitties that he leaves open and vulnerable for just a little tickle-tickle.

When I would pick him up after one of our rollicking, stomach-aching, comedy hours, he’d attach himself to my face with a wide, slobbery, open-mouthed smooch. I mean the kid adores me.

There are dark days in parenting young children, but today was not one of them. Today was filled with giddy laughter and slobbery kisses and prayers of gratitude. I mean I can only guess that behind that goofy grin, Charlie was thanking the good Lord above for blessing him with the funniest mommy on the planet.