Personality

Today I am grateful for the gift of being a parent, and the lessons I am learning as I do my best to be a good parent. I am grateful for the love, joy, and pride I feel for my son Sam.

I chose personality today because I want to talk about Sam's personality. Today is his 12th birthday.

This definition of personality seems most fitting: the complex of characteristics that distinguishes an individual or a nation or group; the totality of an individual's behavioral and emotional characteristics.

Last night, we were watching video of the day Sam was born and footage from the first months of his life. He was absolutely adorable. If I called him that now, he would not find it amusing. He was a happy and curious baby and his smile touched me deeply. It still does. He remains happy and curious. It just looks a lot different at 12 years than it did at 12 days or 12 months.

I am proud of Sam and the unique individual he is becoming. He has his own quirks, his own sense of humor, his own style and tastes. Dare I say he seems pretty well-adjusted? My hopes and dreams for him match my fears and worries for these next years.

He is a mere 525,600 minutes away from being a teenager. Yikes! He is likely more ready for that than his parents are. Puberty has ensued and the moodiness has begun. When I hug him these days, we are eye to eye.

Happy Birthday my son! I love you.

I will be taking another blog break for a couple of days. Have a good weekend!