I am not a big boy yet...

When my son, Nicholas was a strapping, very tall for his age four year old he came downstairs from showering with his dad and announced to my mother and me that when he got to be a big boy he would have hair on his butt. More than a little stunned at the announcement but trying hard not to make fun or make a big deal of the announcement I asked him why he had made that determination. He said because his dad had hair on his butt. This seemed to be explanation enough and he went on his merry way to get dressed. My mother and I just looked at one another and let it go. These kinds of profound announcements were not unusual for Nicholas because to be honest he was a funny kid. Not strange kind of funny but humorous kind of funny. In southern terms" he was a hoot". Always and forever making us laugh or keeping us on our toes. I filed that back in my mind as one of those uniquely entertaining things and mostly forgot about it. Several weeks later Nicholas and I were at a local carpet store looking for carpet to replace the worn out rug in our family room when a man I didn't recognize (this is significant because living in a small town, I knew most everyone) spoke to Nicholas who had been running like a wild man on top of the carpet rolls. He had more engergy than I most of the time but I did try to correct the erratic behavior. Nicholas stopped what he was doing and spoke back to the man who went on to say "you sure are a big boy. How old are you, six?" To which Nicholas replied " no, I am four years old." The gentleman, having no clue what he was stepping into, although it was slowly dawning on me but I could do nothing to stop the train that was my son, said " oh well , then you really ARE a big boy. " Nicholas then looked the man in the eye with a determined look and said "no, I won't be a big boy 'til I have hair on my butt." I stood there wishing the floor would open up and swallow me right then and there as the man turned to me with the same stunned look I had experienced when I first heard that statement and I just shrugged my shoulders. Nicholas ran off at that point taking advantage of my inattention to run crazy over the carpet rolls once again and I thankfully had an excuse to leave the stunned man who most likely learned there are some things you just don't need to know.Or maybe he knew this right of passage that I as just a girl who turned into a mom did not know about.