Remember the story about the little machines in my eyes that don’t work right? The ones that see colors? Well, my eyes don’t see around me very well either. Not without help anyway. I did not know a thing about this. Momma wears glasses, and other big people I know do too, but I thought it was like wearing socks or something. Just keeping your eyes warm!

Daddy and Momma decided to take me to a doctor of eyes. Or…maybe that is a doctor FOR eyes. Hmmm. So I went. He asked me a lot of questions, shined bright lights in my eyes, told me to look at pictures, and put scary drops in my eyes. This was not easy. This was not fun. I wanted to run. But Momma was there telling me I was safe. After it was all done, I had glasses!!

I asked why. Momma said it was like her camera lenses. Sometimes she puts a special lens on her camera so she can see things far away. And sometimes she uses a special lens to see things really really close.   So my glasses are like those lenses I guess…different lenses than my eyes. The glasses help me see far away and close.  

Wait…so cameras wear glasses?

Everything was different when I put them on!!   I guess things were fuzzy before, but not now.   When I put them on for the first time, I saw each leaf on the trees! I saw ants on the ground. I could find letters that I’m learning on signs outside. I could even see the moon in the sky!!!

I noticed more and more.   I watched more. I looked more. It was like the time my car seat got turned around to face forward!! A whole new world…through a different lens!

Sometimes we have to drive around, all of us, so Momma can take pictures. Sometimes I like it…like when it ends in juice, ice cream and M&M’s.   But, when it seems we won’t get that happy ending, Lyla and I scream. A lot. I’ve taught her well.

Before you roll your eyes or shake your heads (YOU REALLY SHOULD SEE YOURSELVES SOMETIMES), you should know screaming is important. It is needed. We are JUST trying to strengthen our lungs, and also tell you something super important. Try listening. Whining is too often ignored. Saying, “Excuse me, please don’t make us,” does NOTHING, despite being polite.

And so, we drive around, Daddy trying to stay calm, turning up the radio, Momma taking pictures like a stalker from the car, me and Lyla screaming. Every so often, Momma or Daddy turn around with comfort attempts OR threats. No success. Makes us louder. And besides, haven’t they ever heard the poem, “You Look Prettier When You Smile”??!!??

Anyway, one day Momma was taking pictures of all the different houses, and when not screaming, Lyla kept asking, “Who wiv der?” or “Who house?” Because I had lost my screaming helper, I started thinking. Thinking. And then asking, “Does every family have a different house?” “Who does that family have?” “Do ALL families have a Momma + Daddy + boy + girl?”

Daddy said some families do, but every family is different. Then Momma said every family has a different story, a different way they came together in their houses.  

After I thought some more, I had to know.   “Will we always be a family in our house? Will you always be mine and Lyla’s family and we will always be yours?” Both Momma and Daddy answered at the same time, “ ALWAYS. NO MATTER WHAT. NO MATTER WHERE. ALWAYS.”

If you ask me, most of you big people have a phone in front of your faces all day long. And you miss a lot of life. You miss a lot of my life. And you wonder why we have to get so loud or do the things we do to get your attention. I even see medium people doing this, probably even more than big people. (Just so you know, medium is in between small and big.)   I think it is stupid. Even though I am not ‘sposed to say that word.

So here is a story…

Right before the sun goes to bed, it makes everything glow and paints the sky.   It is beautiful. It is lovely. Yep. I am a boy. I am 4 years old. But I can still say that it is beautiful and lovely… and I do. It is the kind of pretty that makes you forget about anything that made you sad or mad. It is the kind of pretty that makes you stop what you are doing and watch. And look. And smile. And…of course it is the kind of pretty that makes Momma ALMOST push us out of the way so she can take a picture. “ALMOST”. Blink. Blink. (Still can’t wink.)

All kinds of pretty.

One night we were at a park and another big person was talking to Momma. I noticed the sky changing- glowing, so I knew SHE had too. I watched her. I watched the sky. I watched her flick on the camera and push buttons while the person talked to her. Then, in the middle of the other big person’s story, Momma mumbled something and walked away to start taking pictures of the painted sky. REALLY??!!!   Awkward much??!!!  

All I could do was walk over to Momma and hope no one had noticed. Why does she do this to me???

On the drive home, the sky kept changing, a different kind of pretty each time. Most nights the sky is amazing but tonight it seemed extra special. People were on the side of the road, out of their cars, watching this painted sky. Beautiful. You had to smile. Everyone was smiling. Taking pictures. At least SOME people were, NOT everyone. There were medium sized people with their big people who were looking DOWN, not UP.   Didn’t they know where the pretty was?? The sky was painted for them, and they were missing it!!!   Even the big people were looking down and not up.

What was DOWN that was so cool…cool enough to miss what was UP????   Then I looked…and saw. Phones. Phones. PHONES. Oh. Those. Sigh. Head shake. Sigh.