Can I just say for the record that five is my favorite age so far? Nathan is delightful these days. Old enough to be surprisingly self-sufficient, young enough to still feel attached. He is fun and says funny things. He is sweet and (mostly) patient with his sisters. He is high on dinosaurs and legos and coloring and singing and soft shirts and has no shame in a good stuffed animal snuggle. He's completely wonderful.
Whenever things feel rough with Anneliese (or Charlotte, for that matter, although that's rare these days since she is also at a delightful-to-me-anyway age), I remind myself that three was tough with Nathan too (albeit in different ways), and that someday she will be five and it will be better. Five! I get to do five again! Twice!
I love five. I can't quit five.
 |
| Look what I built with Daddy! We had directions! (He loves a toy with directions.) |
Anyway when I was at school to help with his class Christmas party, both his teachers pulled me aside to tell me how great he is to have around. Incredibly bright, shockingly good memory, one of the best grasps of numbers and patterns and mathy things that they've seen from a kindergartner (he doesn't get that from me. in case you couldn't guess by the fact that I just said mathy things). I mean, what parent doesn't want to hear that stuff? I loved hearing it.
But you know what I loved hearing even more? That he is kind. And compassionate. Sweet to everyone. And has a good sense of fairness and justice for his classmates. I roll my eyes sometimes at his rule-followingness (he doesn't get that from me either), but if it brings out his willingness to share and take turns and be a good listener, I will stop the eye rolling. I love that his teachers and friends can count on him. It's way better than any academic accolades they could mention. Truly.
My shy socially-slow Nathan is turning into the easygoing kind kid in the class? The one everyone wants to play with? The one who won't name a best friend because "I like all my friends, mommy." I LOVE THAT, Y'ALL. I love it so hard.
And that is why I still want him to stay five forever. (Yes, he is still sticking to his promise.)
2 comments:
"mathy things"...clearly, I love this. :)
How did I blink and Nathan grow up so much in the last three or four months?? I mean, really, when did Nathan learn to read labels on the Christmas packages, even in MY handwriting?? It is a good thing I didn't get him the easy readers I thought about for Christmas, because I would have WAY undershot his ability. Sorta like I did with the puzzle, but it should be fun regardless, because it is a BIG floor puzzle. Such that his sibs and Bowden might make him crazy.
Post a Comment