When a Ketchup Bottle is a Love Letter

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My one-year-old son brings me things throughout the day: a Thomas the Tank Engine train, a drink coaster, a piece of carpet lint.

This evening’s item was a ketchup bottle. I was sitting at our kitchen island talking to my husband as he put away some groceries I’d brought home and our son walked up to the open pantry.

He leaned onto his tiny tiptoes and stared upward at the shelves lined with canned goods and cereal boxes.

I could tell he was scanning the shelves by the slight back-and-forth tilt his blonde head was making. He rolled back onto his heels and seemed to set his gaze. With two dimpled hands, he reached up and grabbed a new ketchup bottle and turned around.

With the bottle extended outward, he smiled proudly and toddled over to me. He lifted the bottle up, babbled a sentence, and flashed his gapped-tooth baby smile.

I was tired from a long week and a crowded trip to the store but I happily took the ketchup bottle and beamed back at him. I exclaimed how lovely it was, said the best tomatoes were surely picked for this bottle, and I genuinely thanked him. He took a step back, smiled once more, and turned on his heel to run back to the playroom. 

When my husband returns home from work our son does the same thing. Once he realizes that the garage door has gone up and his dad is home, he stops whatever he is doing and frantically begins to search for something to take to his dad.

My husband and I always try to receive these “gifts” with enthusiasm. We make an effort to really examine the item and say thank you.

Usually, a one-year-old hasn’t mastered language enough to say “I love you”. While they can give a hug and a kiss and can maybe share a set of words, what they have at their fingertips is what they have to offer. When a child takes the time to pick an item out and give it to you, they are giving you something they believe to be special.

So, while many may see a Thomas the Tank train, drink coaster, carpet lint, or a ketchup bottle as everyday objects, I see each one as a love letter to me from my sweet son.

 

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Kate Stechschulte
Hi! My name is Kate and my husband and I have lived in the Dayton area for almost 4 years. Before settling here we moved a lot and had 6 addresses in 4 states in 4 years. We're happy to finally be putting down some roots and to call Dayton home! We have a little boy and a baby girl, both under 2, so we've been learning to navigate life as new parents. I have a marketing and project management business that takes me to client offices a few days a week, otherwise I work from home. I enjoy running, appetizers, reading, and when I get a free minute I write on katewrites.org.