Somehow, you went from this:
to this:
in the blink of an eye. When we look back on the past ten years, it's hard to find the right words to sum up just how much our lives have changed with you in it. You are the kid that made us "Dad and Mom". You are the kid that still brings us into new stages and phases....and, though we try to pretend we know what we're doing, we really have no clue! Thankfully, you are just about as easy as they come when it comes to kids. Don't be fooled, we have our hard moments and some days are tough, but on the whole, you're a delightful child. You were a happy, easy, routine-loving baby. You were a toddler/preschooler that was calm and liked to please us. Your world was rocked not once, but twice, by having younger siblings, and you appeared to come out fairly unscarred! To this day, some of those traits are still some of your greatest qualities. We love so much of who you have been over these past ten years and know that you will continue to amaze us with who you become.
Some of the things that still make you so easy to parent are your independent spirit, your outgoing personality, and your strong convictions. Your independence coupled with the fact that you are quite trustworthy, means we can let you have the freedom and space you so desperately crave and need at this age. You've shown this over and over again this year as you've moved up into the intermediate school. You have loved getting to walk/ride bikes to and from school with your friends and we hardly worry about it because we know we can trust you. The drastic change in the level of communication provided at your new school was a bit hard to adjust to on our end, but you've loved being held responsible for more things. And homework....what more could a parent wish for than a kid who tackles homework and studying without a hitch?!? You wowed us this past year as you were placed into the gifted program for reading and math, and you continue to wow us with the fact that you're doing so well in both of those! But, what's truly the best, is that you've never let any of your successes change your humble nature. You take on any new challenge with a willing heart and never complain about things being too hard or too easy. You take your role seriously as a student and we are so thankful for that.
Another trait you've had since day one is your outgoing personality. We love that you love people. You thrive off of time with friends, and thankfully, you've picked a handful of the most amazing friends we could ever wish for! Your closest friends are like family to us and we adore them like they're our own. We hope and pray that God continues to surround you with such awesome peers. Not everything in the social realm has been easy though, as you've started to notice the harsh reality that some kids just aren't very nice. We have had many conversations this year about other kids and how cruel they can be towards one another. We are thankful that this bothers you and even more impressed that you don't stand for it. Several times, we've heard praises from your teacher about your desire to include everyone and treat everyone with fairness and respect. And, several times, we've celebrating you being the person who stood up for a kid getting picked on. You are truly living up to your namesake, and we pray this boldness lasts forever.
On top of all the goodness we've mentioned, you are a boy with strong convictions. You've always been amazing at knowing right from wrong. When you were a toddler, simply saying "no, no" was enough to keep you from danger. You trusted us and we trusted you. Sure, there were moments (and sometimes full day episodes) of disobedience, but those are becoming a distant memory. Today, you're a ten year old who has his head on straight. You are appalled by the choices that some people make and can't understand why people do the things they do. As you've moved into these later years of adolescence, you've definitely been exposed to more and are far more curious about the rights and wrongs of the world. However, you seem to always work through those conversations with such maturity and logic. Though your innocence is slowly fading, you still have so much that you're trying to understand. As you've studied things like the civil rights movement or had deep talks with us about political matters, it's clear that you have a passion for fixing the wrongs in this world. We certainly hope and pray that God uses your boldness and strong convictions for such great things in the future!
All that said, you are truly an extraordinary kid! There's so much about you that sets you apart....and we don't just say that because you're our kid. To know you is to love you. It's easy to do. You still have a smile that lights up your whole face and a giggling laugh that is contagious. You tell stories that go on for (what feels like) days and we are grateful that you still want us to listen. You're as well rounded as they come and have so many interests that it's hard to keep up with them all. You obsess over just about any sport - when the Olympics were on this year, you would've spent every waking moment watching them if we'd have let you. You would spend all day outside if given the chance, but are also known to spend hours watching fascinating documentaries or playing video games with friends. You are a major bookworm and it's often a battle getting you to finally put your book down and go to bed. You love music and have taught yourself the basics on the piano. You are a phenomenal big brother. Even though you have moments where you lose all patience with your siblings, you are still their biggest role model. They both cried UGLY tears when we dropped you off for a one night church retreat this past month. 24 hours. That's it. They thought they'd never survive that long without you! And, you know what? There was some truth to those tears. When you were gone, our whole day felt just a little bit off. You're an invaluable part of our family and we are so blessed to say you belong to us. We pray that God continues to shine His light through you in our family and in this world. You've done great things already and the road ahead looks just as promising. Thank you for making these past ten years so delightful. We love you more than you'll ever know!
Love,
Dad and Mom
