6 years ago this was Wild Boy.  The transformation from an infant to a toddler to a “kid” goes fast – everyone says tells you that but you never, ever believe it.  You get 18 years of technical childhood and sometimes it seems endless and other times it’s really a blur.

5 has been an amazing year.  This has been the year that you, Wild Boy:

– Said good-bye to “Toy Story” and hello to “X-Men” and “Batman”

– Really learned to read and even got caught reading in bed after bedtime with a flashlight in the dark.

– Graduated from pre-school, moved across the country and settled in better than expected in your new city and Kindergarten class.

– Drew pictures, wrote notes and made projects to show your love to friends and family.

– Consented to wearing jeans and not just “soft pants” or shorts.

– Danced to and sang “Gangnam Style” as often as you could but still considered “Ring of Fire” your favorite song.

– Learned to share better than you ever could before and recognized your improvement.

– Made sure every teacher or adult in charge knew your name (or nickname of the week – SharkBoy, Wolverine etc.)

– Stopped wanting to hold my hand when you crossed the street but still wanted to cuddle in the morning and evening.

– Discovered that people aren’t always good but continued to be your happy, loving and compassionate self anyway.

My Wild Boy has helped change the way I see the world.  Being a parent isn’t easy and isn’t always wine and roses (well, maybe wine) but through this little boy, I’ve learned to see things that not only make me laugh (where I’d likely otherwise be jaded and snort derisively) but I’ve also developed a sense of motivation that I might not have ever had before.

Today’s birthday marks the 1/3 mark of when this “kid” legally becomes an “adult” to which I can only think, “Holy Crap”!  Part of me wants to keep this boy little forever but another part wants to see what he will become.  I know that I can’t stop time so I guess I’ll need to focus on attempting to treasure the next 2/3 of childhood.  Happy 6th Birthday, my sweet boy.  Happy Birthday.