I know I post a lot about Bennett. Having a four-year-old in the family means that there are a thousand laughs a week which translates into a thousand quotes a week which I could post on our blog. Four year olds are just cute, funny, inquisitive, simple yet profound. Easy material for a blog, for sure. I only wish I had a blog when Anderson was four. I regret not writing down more of what he said and did then. Everyone told me to. I didn't listen.
But I wanted to dedicate a post to Anderson today. Anderson is twelve and in the sixth grade. Yes, that means he is a middle schooler. Most people have a knee-jerk reaction to the term "middle schooler" that is generally some form of a wince, but I have to say that we are truly enjoying parenting during this phase of development. Then again, I think Anderson may very well break the pre-teen mold.
Anderson is still very open to Paul and me. He hasn't pulled down the pre-teen partition between us that reads, "Parents just don't understand." Yes, he thinks he knows more than he used to, and he does. With years lived comes the opportunity to gain wisdom from your experiences. I told him recently that I do know that he is getting to the age where he thinks Paul and I may not know as much as he once thought we did, but the truth is we still have more wisdom than he does overall. I did tell him that sometimes he might be right and we might be wrong, and that Paul and I would always try to be open to hearing him out and would always be willing to concede when he was right. That being said, he needed to understand that we are more than likely right because we've "been there, done that, and bought the t-shirt". The thing is, Anderson really is a wise little (well, not-s0-little) boy, and he agreed with what I was telling him.
Anderson goes to sleep most nights listening to the Bible being read on CD. No, we don't make him do this. This is something he does on his own intiative. My mother-in-law gave us these CDs years ago, and whenever Paul and I were sick in the bed or had bad dreams, we would listen to the Bible being read aloud. Anderson took up the practice and has stuck with it. It is pretty amazing how much Scripture he can quote (with the dramatic emphasis and everything since he's heard it quite a bit!). I started reading a chapter of the Bible to Anderson every day when he was a newborn. It is really a blessing to see those seeds that were sown into his spirit bearing fruit in his life. (He LOVES to read, has a way with words, and has great reading retention....maybe that was from all the Bible reading as a baby? :) )
Anderson loves sports and grows more and more competitive with age! And bless his heart, he comes by that honestly. Tonight he was a little irritated that his dad beat him twice in air hockey, but most of the time he handles loss with grace and a determination to get back in the game and win. He loves football and has played quarterback for the last two seasons with the Copperheads (a local football league). This fall, he will likely play for his JV team at school, but we aren't exactly sure about this yet. He may opt to spend one more year in his rec league before playing with and against 9th graders!
In a few weeks, Anderson will begin playing on his middle school golf team. His dad will be his coach, which will be a really sweet experience for them to share. I know I am his mom but I know that Anderson has a God-given talent to play golf just like his daddy. We have played a couple of a times as a family this month, and he astounded me with how far and accurately he can hit a golf ball. He was hitting balls consistently over 200 yards on the fly (in other words, this doesn't include how far they roll after they land). I know he has "the goods" to be a great golfer one day, but football remains his true love at this point, so we'll see what the future holds. Of course, as his mom, I would LOVE for him to love golf--a far safer sport than football--but I trust God has a plan for Anderson, and who am I to interfere with whatever that may be? I am only here to help him discover that plan and follow it.
Every day that Anderson comes home from school, he says he's had a great day. He is happy! I know he'd rather be at home playing and hanging out with his family, but it is a blessing to parent a kid who is always pretty happy, joyful, at peace. He has mentioned to me a few times this year that he was stressed out by school work, taking on new projects and papers that he's never had to be as responsible for. The teachers are taking their hands off of them more and more (and ask us as parents to do nothing for these projects they assign, which I LOVE!), so Anderson was a bit intimidated, I could tell. But he came home today so proud of himself for finishing his paper, outlines, and visual aids at school ON HIS OWN! I'm proud of him, too.
Andersons excels at History and Reading (as I mentioned before). He watches The History Channel for fun. He teaches Paul and me American history all the time (I'm not exaggerating). He just has a knack for it and soaks it in like a sponge. He is so much like his granddaddy. He and Granddaddy are planning another trip this summer to visit more Civil War battlegrounds, and Anderson can't wait! We've told Anderson that we think he would make a good attorney because of his knowledge of history and his ability to soak up information that he reads. Of course, he'd make an honorable attorney, full of integrity, because that is the kind of person Anderson is.
Anderson did make his first (and hopefully only!) trip to the superintendent's office at school a few months ago. It's actually a great story that is too long for me to write tonight, but basically what happened is some eighth grade boys had been bullying the sixth grade boys in PE class. Anderson had told us this was going on, and we told him that he could do whatever was needed to defend himself. So, he did. :) I was proud of him, honestly. Anyway, I believe the kid who was bullying him ended up getting suspended from school. Anderson got off with a little "talking to". And that put an end to the bullying. So...mission accomplished.
Anderson is also keenly aware of feminine beauty now. He is well aware of the fact that God created him to be attracted to girls, but thankfully he doesn't find any girls at his school particularly appealing, so I'm hoping he remains that way for quite awhile.
I've heard for years that parents aren't supposed to be their child's friends but their parents. I understand and agree with what is intimated by this statement which is that you can't put a desire for your kids to like you above doing what is right for them. But the truth is, I am so glad that I am able to be Anderson's friend--that we can talk about ANYTHING (I blush regularly these days), that he chooses to spend time with us and gets excited about family outings, that we can play games against each other and compete and it's a fair competition (I can still beat him wrestling, but he's getting stronger every day). But Anderson entirely understands that I am first and foremost his mother, and I have no qualms about making decisions that he isn't happy with if I believe it is what is best. And he really does trust me when I do make those decisions. He knows I am always looking out for my baby boy. And no matter how old he is, that is what he is--my baby.
As I said before, I know that Anderson is my child, and I am biased. But the truth is, he is an exceptional human being. He came into this world with a peace and joy, and he hasn't let the world steal it from him. He is amazingly self-assured for an adolescent, and He very much loves the God we introduced him to and He is getting to know more and more all the time. He has a strong sense of right and wrong, amazing integrity, and I have called him a compulsive truth-teller for years. (When I picked him up from school the other day, I could tell that he was feeling guilty about something. I asked him what was wrong, and he said, "Mrs. Hamo asked us who finished our reading assignment last night, so I stood up to indicate that I did, and then I realized I hadn't read the last half-page, but I was afraid to sit down because then I thought she might think I lied on purpose." He was really bothered by his mistake, and I told him it wasn't intentional, so he didn't need to worry about it since he was reading that half of a page that evening.) I don't know how many adults say their admire their children, but I sure admire mine.
Okay, so I have bragged long enough. That wasn't my intention, honestly, when I sat down to write about Anderson. But of course, I can't help myself. I love that kid. I think he's mighty fine, and I am more than proud to be his mama.
And since I know that mostly family (and friends who are like family) reads this blog, I am grateful that they won't be offended by my going on and on about my kid.
