Moments like these.

Ethan has a thing with my shoes. He wears them around the house, usually on the wrong feet. How he manages to walk, I don't know.
Just minutes ago was such a moment: mama's shoes on (on the wrong feet) as he "fixed" his toy airplane with a plastic tag thing from a shirt I bought him yesterday. He looked up at me, so proud and said, "I fixed it! I fixed it!"
He looked so ridiculously adorable in those huge shoes, his voice so triumphant. It's in moments like these that my heart breaks because I don't ever want him to grow up, don't ever want him to be alone in the world. Don't ever want him to be laughed at or made fun of-even if he wears his shoes on the wrong feet.
It reminds me of what Marlin, Nemo's dad, says to Dori when they can't find Nemo:
"But I promised [Nemo] I would never let anything happen to him!" and Dori says, "Well, that's a funny thing to promise." (Questioning look from Marlin). Dori explains, "Well, if you never let anything happen to him, then nothing's going to happen to him. Not much fun for little 'Carpo'."
It's probably one of the harder things of being a mama, watching when your children mess up or get hurt or even get made fun of. Learning what it means to be a refuge for them, a place to return to no matter what where they can be as silly or dorky as they want.