Celebrating …..My Son’s Birthday

 So he may not like this, he tends to be a private person. His online activity is very limited and to my knowledge, he has no social media accounts. Well, none of the usual ones anyway.

But it is, today is his birthday. My son, is thirty-two years of age. That means I was thirty-one when he was born. Yes, I had pretty much given up on that being a mom thing. Then the best gift ever came along. 

Oh life has not been easy with one as head strong and stubborn as he can be, but it has also definitely not been boring.

 He has absolutely zero tolerance for drama. Getting through school was a nightmare because of that. Add to that the fact he tends to lean toward the solitary life therefore doesn’t seek out a gathering of peers. However, if he is your friend, it is a life time thing, unless you seriously screw it up.

His intelligence and grasp of things is amazing. I tend to float on the surface of things while he digs down to the roots.

 Back a life time ago when I was contributing editorial columns to a local paper, readers watched him grow. They shared in our adventures. Like the time he really didn’t want to go shopping with me so I turned it into a game using two walkie talkies. I had one placed in my purse and he had the other. He was an aisle away talking, calling our for help, anything to make others I passed wonder.

 When his tenure at the public school ended abruptly, he finished at a local college, then on to a trades college where he graduated Dean’s Honor Roll. Take that high school. I was the one gloating, he took it in stride.

When he told us he wanted a motorcycle, I was concerned. He has a need for speed. I told him that he was an adult, so I couldn’t say no, but I could ask him to make sure he knew exactly what he was getting into. Now, years later, he has shown that usually he does understand, but even in that, he has his moments.

 After his dad died, he really stepped up. He has proven time and again the man he is. Yes, he does still live at home, but I dare you to say he is any less than a man. You will find out how wrong you are.

He has a full time job. He works hard and sometimes suffers the after effects. Who doesn’t? 

He has helped me repair things around here. Well sort of, he could still finish putting that washer back together. He helped repair plumbing when I got too frustrated to get the pipes together. He even looked at a vacuum that decided that vacuuming should be an electrifying experience. He helps make sure I have firewood that fits our small wood stove and is my in house IT person.

He rescues spiders, mice and bugs, and even a bird once, from inside the house and releases them outside.

 His grandparents, my parents, live next door to us. Their advanced ages make them vulnerable. All they have to do is call, and he goes. He walks with them, teases them, and does what ever he can to help them. Even distracting his grandfather when he sees his grandmother reaching her limit in patience.

 While I am sure he has dreams of getting out of here and into his own place, right now I’m happy he is here. I am very proud of him, attitude and all. He is who he is, a mix and blend of me, his dad, and ancestors before him. All passing down a grain of personality that mixed together to create him.

 I’m not sure even now, how we will celebrate his birthday. He is currently working. I will come up with something though. I have to let him know today, how his birthday really changed my life and has helped make it better, even in the struggles. Maybe, especially in the struggles. 

Those battles helped him to grow. I won’t say mature, because there is at least a bit of immaturity in all of us that shows out from time to time. Every day, I see where he learns a bit more. Understands a bit more. Accepts the responsibility for his mistakes a bit more.  That in itself shows a maturing. Happy birthday my son. I do love you and wish this day to be extra special.