You can try to instill your thoughts and beliefs in them. You can try to program them to be who you want them to be. You can try to shape them, mold them, bend them. The harder you try, the less influence you seem to have. Kids are like a flood; they start out like a little trickle of water that grows exponentially, gaining speed and power. You can try to stop it like a dam until there is so much pressure built up that it bursts through with even greater force and determination. All you can do is offer guidance or suggested paths, and encouragement to take one route over the other.
Ten is a benchmark for a child. Its a doorway leading from childhood to adolescence. As a parent, I find it both exciting and terrifying. Apollo turns ten today. I couldn't be prouder of the person he is becoming. He is so different than the person I thought he would be as I waited for him to be born, yet there is an innate familiarity to his personality. I couldn't see him being any different than he is.
Apollo has a connection with animals and nature. He sees himself as a part of them and understands them. Yes, we are a very animal friendly home and we love nature, but Apollo has a gift that was not taught. From the time he learned to crawl, he was fascinated by anything living and always treated them with special reverence. To this day, we cannot kill a spider in the house (if he is watching) or pull a snail from a plant and throw it into the street. To him, they are all living creatures that deserve to live. He is kind and patient with animals. We have adopted birds that come to us a little less than friendly and Apollo always wins them over and turns them into putty in his hands. He never has to be told to interact with his pets. They are the first thing he checks on in the morning, when returning home from school, or even a short trip to the store.
When Apollo is interested in something, he is unstoppable in its pursuit. Last year in school, it was math that sparked his interest and he excelled well beyond his grade level. This year, it is reading and mythology. Apollo has always been introspective and once he discovered the worlds that written words can paint, he was off to the races and has read about a dozen of Rick Riordan's books, starting with the Percy Jackson series. Apollo always has a book in his hand. His teachers have to take the books from him as he will start reading in class and get lost in them. In his English class, they track how many words the students read (by the number of words in the books they read). Apollo is closing in on one million words! At last count, in march, the class goal for the year was to have read at least 175,000 words. Apollo was over 850,000 at that point and had yet to take tests for two more books that he had read, in order to get credit for reading them. Melanie likes to tell him that he has read more books in one school year than I have in my entire life...do audible books count?
Apollo is very funny and quick witted. He is sarcastic and understands dry humor. He loves to laugh and to make people laugh. Even so, his personality is complex and often adults, usually teachers, see him as quiet or forlorn, and are unable to "read" him, finding it difficult to know if he is interested in something or not, or even trying to get him to participate. If he is interested, he is in 100%, if he is not, his mind is elsewhere. He doesn't understand why he needs to do something if it doesn't interest him. Did I mention that he is stubborn?
One of my favorite things about Apollo is when he finds something appealing; sounds, tactile sensations, sights, etc., he will say "That is really satisfying." At 9-year-old, he has made the connection between stimuli and behavior and sees that pattern in people and animals and then found a way to put it into words.
His sarcastic quick wit and stubbornness, are not so satisfying to his mom though. When Melanie points out to Apollo that he has not yet done his homework, he likes to reply with, "That's interesting." Did I mention that Apollo is also good at pushing peoples buttons?
Apollo, you are an incredible young man. I enjoy every moment that we spend together. I love your sense of humor. I love the way you care for animals. I love the way you see the world. To me, the person that you are is very satisfying. I am honored to be your dad. ~ I love you!
No comments:
Post a Comment