My Son

Well, today is my baby’s birthday! And boy, oh boy, do I love that boy! Twenty years ago today I delivered a huge bundle of joy! Not only was he literally a huge baby, he was and continues to be a huge joy. I have always thought that the numbers surrounding his birth were very cool – born 8:08 a.m., weighed 9 lbs. 9 oz. on 10/10 - - 89. It just dawned on me a couple of days ago that he will celebrate his 21st birthday on 10/10/10. Perhaps this will be cause for celebration. That’s all I’m going to say about that.
He is no longer a teenager. Those teenage years proved some extremely good times as well as a few hard lessons learned. He is still growing, maturing and changing. I like what I see. I see a young man who knows what personal responsibility is (although I can’t imagine why); I see a young man who is standing up for what he knows is right; and I see a young man who is becoming a man before my eyes. College will do that to you to be sure. He is learning some hard lessons about economy of time, fairness, injustice and life in general.
Just a few of the many things I love about my boy.
This young man is truly one of the most insightful and intuitive people I have ever met. His dad and I have learned to trust his opinion when introduced to certain situations or people. Somehow, he just knows when something isn’t “quite right.” Call it what you may but having this quality will undoubtedly prove very valuable in his life. Son, I hope you continue to trust your instincts.
He is funny. While this probably may not be funny to some, when he was little, he had his own unique way of saying words. Kleenex became klenn-eck-eeze. Iron became i-run. A nearby college is named Truett McConnell. He called it Truett Mac-Con-ick-cal. To this day, I cannot say it without pronouncing it the way my boy did. He still makes me laugh. He seems to still have just a hint of little boy mischief in his eyes. You never quite know what he’s thinking or what will come out of his mouth. He is very quick-witted and never misses an opportunity to poke fun at himself or those he loves (especially me and his sister). Son, I hope you can always see the humor in every situation.
He truly enjoys life. He has just enough of a Sanguine personality in him to find or create fun wherever he goes. One of my favorite stories about him happened just a few months ago as he was preparing to move off campus and into an apartment. As he began telling me about the prospective apartment, I asked about the rent. He told me the amount. I then asked “what does that include?” He answered, “the pool, the tanning bed and the clubhouse.” Never mind, electricity? Cable? Water? . . . Enough said about being a Sanguine. Son, I hope you don’t sweat the small stuff and enjoy the blessings of this life you have been given - every single day.
He loves his sports, oh yes he does. He considers one of the major blessings in his life to be the fact that he was born in SEC country. We take our sports seriously around here which suits him just fine. And I have learned enough over the years to know that if you can’t beat em, join em. So I have watched my fair share of sporting events and read enough sports sections to be able to talk intelligently to him about sports. Why? Because if it is important to him then it is important to me. When he was in high school, he would come downstairs just in time (7:40 to be exact) for the ESPN Top Ten Plays from the previous day. Knowing how much I enjoyed this (and still do) he always called for me to watch with him. We would then give our expert opinion on if in fact Play #1 was better than Play #2. Hmm . . . I really miss that. Son, I hope you remember the valuable lessons that are learned in sports . . . discipline, perseverance and the value of working together as a team.
And he is a team player. He knows how to be supportive and encouraging to others. Something that has always impressed me about him is his strong support of whoever he may be playing a sport with or working alongside. He is the first one to give a pat on the back whether physically or verbally to his teammate or coworker. Son, I hope you remember the power of speaking a word of encouragement to another – never underestimate that.
He can appreciate an automobile to be sure. The reason I mention this is because it holds special significance to me. I have to smile as I can only imagine how much my dad would have enjoyed my boy. My dad had a similar love for cars having been a mechanic for many years. I feel sure my dad would have claimed he inherited that love from him. When my boy turned 16, it seemed he was surrounded by friends who were being given brand new vehicles for their birthdays – really nice ones. Many years before we had made an agreement with both of our children about the car situation: whatever money they were able to save for a car, we would match it. Both of them worked very hard in the family business for that money and sure enough when they turned 16, they presented what they had saved. As you can imagine, it wasn’t enough money for him to purchase the latest model truck that he so desperately wanted. What did he get? His granddad’s six year old Chevrolet Silverado. While no doubt he was disappointed and possibly a little embarrassed, he made that truck his own. He put all-terrains on that baby, he lifted it so high that I can hardly get in it and installed a sound system that makes your chest vibrate. He still continues to drive that same truck today. While it seems sometimes that a teen boy’s identity is found in the car they drive, his was not. He knew that he had worked hard for what he had. Son, this is a good life lesson no matter your age, to be sure.
And just like his sister, he loves his dad. These two are very serious about their male bonding whether this is accomplished on the lake, at a sporting event or on the ski slopes. Since my boy was old enough to go, these two have not missed a year to go out west and stir up the snow. I guess that’s what they do. All I know is that they come back more exhausted than when they left, with sore muscles and with raccoon sunburns. But these two would not miss it for the world. They truly enjoy hanging out together. Son, I hope you always realize the importance of your family. We will always be here for you and provide you unconditional love.
Another thing I appreciate about our boy is that he has always been very kind to include his dad and me with his friends. We truly enjoy being in the midst of these young people. Thank you son, for letting us share in that part of your life.
You know there is just something about mothers and sons that can’t be explained. I hope I’m not imagining that his face lights up when he sees me these days. (However, I am fully aware that he may be glad to see me because I’ll do his laundry). He and I are very much alike and always have been. We have similar looks and personalities - which actually works out pretty well since the other two members of our family are equally as similar.
So today and every day, buddy, I just want you to know how much I adore and love you. You are an amazing person. And, from the words of a book I read you as a child, “as long as I’m living, my baby you’ll be.”
Love, Mom