the happy sheep

Oliver does a lot of things that melt my heart and turn me to mush. Tonight, when I was putting him to bed after reading The Green Sheep, he mumbled something about being scared. I asked him what he was scared of but he wouldn't answer. I asked if he was "the scared sheep" but he said, "No. I happy sheep!" A kiss, a hug, and Oliver was asleep.

Recently he has been a little obsessed with whether people are happy or sad. I hear, "You happy, mama?" about ten times a day, often when he knows I am not at all happy. I don't know where this comes from, though I suspect school. It really worries me. I like that he is thinking about the feelings of others but I wonder if I have somehow made him feel responsible for my happiness. I want him to know that we're all responsible for our own happiness. That's something I will have to work on.