I can’t believe we said yes: what love will make you do.

Last week we celebrated Bergen Hawkeye’s birthday.

Up until now, the guest list for most Keigley kid birthday events has been almost exclusively grown ups.  Usually summer staffers.

But this year we invited a few of Bergen’s buddies, drew out a couple treasure maps and created challenges for each of the kids.

Turned out to be a perfectly sweet evening with fun and games and kind friends and chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting.  (Bergen didn’t want any food dye in his icing.)

A few days before the party, my friend sent me this text.

“Can we get Bergen two parakeets for his birthday?”

I responded, “Um, are you kidding?”

Turns out, she wasn’t.

My instinct was to say a flat and fast NO.

I do not care for birds indoors and bird cages.

However.

Since approximately the age when he could talk, think and vocalize, Bergen has walked up to birds in cages at pet stores and shops and said, in various little man voices, “One day, I want a bird in a cage in our house.”

To which I have always responded, “That will be cool in your own house when you grow up son.”

And so he has made plans to live with birds in his house as a grown up.

That situation seemed to be settled.

Until Candace’s text.

When she assured me that she was, indeed, serious, I called Kevin.

And we talked.

But we both knew what our son would think.  And I guess we could both imagine the sheer thrill from our son’s pure little boy face.  And the overwhelming joy he would experience.

And I guess we caved under those thoughts.

I first asked, “Will they smell bad?”

And when she said they did not, I typed back, “Yes.”

Then I shook my head.

What was happening here?

When his birthday arrived, Bergen was seated with a stack of incredible gifts from our very generous and thoughtful friends – really wonderful items – bow and arrow, handmade stuffed toy, wooden dinosaur, electricity kit – good stuff, I’m telling you.

And amid it all he opens a container of parakeet food because the birds are scheduled to arrive the next morning.  He smiles.  Thanks the giver and looks a little surprised.

As we leave the presents and move toward cake cutting and song singing, I pull my little eight-year-old man to my side.

“Berg, do you realize that two birds will be yours tomorrow?”

He freezes.  Time stands still.  His eyes burn through mine.

He whispers, “For real, Mommy?”

“Yes, Bergen.  You get two parakeets tomorrow morning.”

Again, eyes locked, quiet voice, “For real?”

And we go through this two more times.

At last it seems to sink in.

I’m not being dramatic here, it was like time stood still for this millisecond in both of our lives.

His voice was reverent.  Low.  Serious.  Sincere.

He looks up at me,

“Mom, this is my dream.”

And that, my friends, is why we said yes to two birds living inside a cage in our house.

Be careful – this is what love can do to you.