Some lucky girl...

Some lucky girl...will someday get this amazing young man and he will no longer be mine alone. He will make the best husband for the right woman, and she had better appreciate him and love him as much as he deserves...

This boy is on the road to becoming a young man, but for now he is mine and I enjoy the gifts he brings to my life and I thank my lucky stars for the goodness that lives in him. He is an old soul in many ways...he hates injustice and gets angry when others are discriminated against and I am thankful for that. We often have long discussions about the deeper issues...I can impart moral lessons upon him and he listens...he absorbs others' pain and has done so since he was a small child. The greatest compliments I would hear from his teachers centered around him being kind and compassionate to others... especially those who struggled with fitting in, for one reason or another. He worries about those who are in need, and he hates snobbery. He has never hounded us for the brand names, instead choosing the more reasonably priced garment, especially after being shown the subtle differences between the quality and country of origin. He does favours for me easily, and never asks "Why me?", and indeed will step up to help if I seem tired or frazzled.

This boy has so much to say, and seems most comfortable in sharing his thoughts with me. He knows I will not tease, as I will never jeopardize the ease with which we can share our thoughts and concerns. This Canadian kid has been following the campaign between Obama and Clinton, watching the most recent debate because he is interested in how they answer the questions. He sees the positives that both candidates bring to the table and it has surprised me that my teen-aged, hip-hop loving, basketball-player son is still interested in the world around him. He recognizes that his actions have consequences on others, and his gentleness to his siblings, when their feelings require it, touches me. No, he is not perfect, and sometimes I brace myself for the presumably bumpy ride I am about to embark on as he heads further into his teens. I hope the mistakes he will inevitably make will not be ones that will harm him; but rather are mistakes that he can learn from and grow. I hope his conscience continues to be strong and I hope he stays on track so that his future remains full of promise. His father jokes that "you raise them the best you can and then just try to keep them out of the gutter" during the teen years...but I hope for more. I hope this boy of mine continues to be a good person who cares about others and their feelings. I hope this boy of mine stays a boy a little bit longer...

my eldest at age 2 and 1/2...with his baby brother