Brown-eyed boy

The Family Man is color blind.

My son Tommy has big brown eyes. They are lovely, luminous eyes, just like his mother has. One day not too long ago a woman stopped me in the grocery store just to tell me Tommy must take after his mother, specifically because his brown eyes don’t look anything like my blue eyes. I’m not sure why she felt compelled to point that out – I think she just noticed Tommy’s eyes, which really are beautiful.

Chris, my older son, has green eyes. Go figure.

Anyway, a few nights ago Tommy was sitting in my lap, face to face with me, when he suddenly said, “Dad, I wish I had blue eyes like you.”

“Why? You have beautiful brown eyes.”

“Brown eyes are not nice,” he said solemnly. “I like blue eyes.”

“Tommy, your eyes are wonderful,” I said. “They’re the same as Mommy’s eyes. Don’t you think Mommy has lovely eyes?”

“I just like blue eyes,” he said stubbornly.

He’s brought it up again three or four times since then. I don’t know what brought this on, and I don’t know what, if anything, to do about it. The last time he said it I made a joke of it and began to tickle him. “I wish I had blue eyes,” he said.

I made a stern face and said, “Brown eyes.” I tickled him.

He tried to make a stern face in return. “Blue eyes,” he said, but he began to smile.

“BROWN,” I said, tickling harder.

“BLUE,” he screeched, laughing.

“BROWN BROWN BROWN!” I said, and he collapsed in a fit of giggles.

Who knows what tomorrow will bring?

It’s great to be The Family Man.