Matching His Steps

Matching His Steps

It is a beautiful day today. It's not too hot and not too cold. The wind was just a gentle breeze. It is the perfect day to go out on a stroll.

That was exactly the plan the Dragneel family had in mind. And so, Natsu, Lucy, Happy and little Igneous Jude went out for a little walk around Magnolia. And Iggy loved going out on walks with his mommy and daddy.

Mommy would always take his left hand. Her hands were so soft and comforting. They had some slight calluses from where she held both her keys and her pen for writing. Her hands were smaller than daddy's but still bigger than his own. And whenever he looked up at his mother, she would always smile. Her smile was just like the twinkling of the stars. Her smile made him feel like a blanket was wrapped around him, comforting him.

Daddy would always take his right hand. His hands were quite rough but at the same time warm. Daddy's hands were much more callused than mommy's and his hands were twice as large as his own. Whenever he looked up at his father, he would always grin. His grin was like the sun, bright and warm. Daddy's grin made him protected, like nothing could ever touch him.

On Iggy's shoulders rested Happy. The blue Exceed's weight was so familiar to him that many times he didn't even register it until his friend spoke. Happy's weight was a source of relief to the pink haired child. He knew that if any bad guys were to attack, Happy would fly him right out of here. Happy would make sure that he was safe. And the blue Exceed always had something funny to say. Whenever he said a joke, it made Iggy ... well, I guess happy would be the best word to describe it.

Many times, Iggy would look at his parents' legs when they were walking. They both had long strides. Mommy's strides were graceful while daddy's were more powerful. However, his little legs couldn't keep up with them.

"Mommy, daddy, you're going too fast." Iggy whined cutely. "I can't keep up."

Natsu and Lucy stopped in their steps. They both knelt down so that they were at eye level with their son.

Natsu ruffled his son's pink hair. "Sorry, little man." He grinned.

Lucy place a gentle hand on her son's cheek. "We're sorry." She smiled. "We'll match your steps."

Natsu and Lucy took their child's hands again. This time, they walked in time with their son.

Igneous Jude Dragneel loved taking walks with this parents. He loved that they had his hands in theirs. He loved that they made him feel comforted and protected. But most importantly, he loved the way that they would match his steps.

I think that this is the perfect analogy for parenthood. We are so used to moving at our own pace. We hurry and rush from engagement to engagement. We are so used to our steps that we hardly even think about our pace. We just go.

Then, a little bundle of joy comes into our life and everything changes. Our lives don't revolve around ourselves anymore. Now we start living for our children. Everything we do is for them. And though they walk with us, they can't keep up with our steps. That's why we slow down. It's not our children's job to match our steps. We are suppose to match their steps. That way, we can be there with them and for them.

Natsu and Lucy are the same way. They used to live their own lives. But then Iggy came and suddenly, it wasn't about them anymore. It was about him. It was about playing with him. It was about working for him. It was about living for him. It was about being with him. Iggy was their life now. Iggy gave their lives meaning. Iggy was their everything.

And for Iggy, they would match his steps.