Illustrated: It’s a Short Tree

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Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, so it’s all about LOVE today. Not just any kind of love, but QUANTIFIED love.  I’ve mentioned before that we often play the “I love you bigger than” game. Where here, “game” just means: In our family we quantify how much we love each other. This is fun, silly, dangerous, and can be extremely hazardous to your self-esteem if you are prone to those sorts of problems.

It’s a good thing that Alex (dad)’s self-esteem is pretty good. Because Edgar is EXTREMELY consistent with his litany. He loves mom bigger than the universe (or “almost anything” or “almost bigger than heaven”). He loves his sister bigger than our house. He loves his dad bigger than a tree. A specific tree. A purple leaved plum tree in our yard.  A short tree.

He has made it clear that his love for his dad is directly tied to this specific tree. He has warned us to NEVER cut the tree. But–good news people!–if the tree grows, his love will grow. So…there’s that.

I’ve got to tell the truth though–I’m glad that I am not the tree. I don’t think I could handle it. Luckily, I get the bigger-than-the-universe love. For now. But the I-hate-my-mom stage will be here all too soon. I’m not ready for it. Bigger than the universe. Bigger than the universe. Bigger than the universe.