My youngest son gravitates toward men. He’ll just pal up to a new male friend as though it were nothing. In fact, I worried initially that maybe these were ominous signs of an attachment disorder, because it seemed so indiscriminate to me. In the whole time I have known him (which admittedly has not been long), I have only seen him really snuggle up and love one woman (his foster mom), though he was pretty close with his social worker, too (just not lovey-dovey snuggly-like).

In fact, when we first met face-to-face after months of talking on the phone and letters, he did hug me – and, yeah, that was pretty much it. He was absolutely head-over-heels in love with hubby and my oldest son. And my daughter just glommed right on to me. But, I was haunted by this little guy who would only “tolerate” my hugs for so long before squirming away. Oh, he’d climb up on my lap of his own volition at church, but quick as a jack rabbit, he’d be off again, back to hubby or his beloved older brother.

But this week, oh-ho, this week, my friends, this little boy has a brand new love … and it’s me! I’ll hear him in the other room having a grand old time with his sibs, and then – zoom – here he comes running to me just for a quick hug and an “I love you, Mama!” Then, off he goes again. Every few minutes, just about every single day this week, I get a little “check-in” from him, just to tell me he loves me. He also prays a lot for me. We’ll be in the Big Red Bus driving somewhere for homeschool, and if I cough (I have asthma), he will start praying “for Mama to feel better.” This afternoon, he went to the restroom, and through the door he was yelling for me. So I ran to the door, thinking he maybe needed a little help cleaning up, but no, he just needed to tell me he loved me and to ask if I still loved him.

He melts my heart.

Yes, little boy, I still love you, and I always will.