Do you want a hug?

Brody is rather robot-like with his emotions. He is rarely extremely happy or sad. He doesn't have a lot of outbursts and maintains a consistent mellow-ness. When he cries, it's so infrequent that it breaks my heart. It's usually when something has been building up for a while and he just can't take it anymore. At that point, even the smallest thing will set him off. 

I remember one day when he was in kindergarten, he came home and just seemed off. He wasn't his chatty self and he seemed bothered by the smallest things. Right before dinner, something happened. I don't remember what it was, but it happened on our front porch. Maybe he stubbed his toe. Maybe he stepped on a rock. Whatever it was, Brody lost it. He cried so hard that I sat down on the steps with him and pulled him into my lap and just rocked him back and forth as I hugged him for a bit. After a few minutes, he calmed down enough to tell me that the other boys wouldn't let him play soccer during recess because they said he didn't know how. My first experience with mean kids. I wasn't prepared. I didn't know what to tell him, so instead, I went out and bought a soccer ball. We played in the park across the street. Later that week, I signed him up for an 8 week clinic and then after that, a soccer team. He learned how to play and I never heard about the kids excluding him during recess again. 

We had a big evening at the Prince William County Fair tonight. We went on rides, watched an epic demolition derby, and didn't get home until after 10:00. The boys were wiped out and a small disagreement about a Pokemon card sent Brody over the edge. I thought he'd calmed down by the time he'd gone to bed but then I heard him shakily inhale as I sat in my room across the hall. He was still crying, laying under his covers in the dark. I tiptoed into his room and sat on the edge of his bed, waiting for him to acknowledge me. Nothing. So I rubbed his back and whispered, "Do you need a hug?" Silence. Then "what?" He sounded like he heard me but couldn't understand why I would ask such a ridiculous question. At this point, the hug was just as much for me as it was for him, so I asked again "Do you need a hug?" The voice from under the covers was clear, without a waver. "No." Well, at least he wasn't crying anymore. I told him goodnight and I love you and went back to my room. Just like that, my big guy had turned back into a robot.