Son turned 18 yesterday. He is officially an adult. My adult son, who is very aware of my ambivalence concerning his aging, asked me for a very special favor last night. He asked me to read to him-like when he was little. When I asked what he wanted, he chose this one:
Afterward, we gave each other a hug and held hands for a while until he was ready to fall asleep. Just as I was leaving his room he said, "I love you, Mom!"
I am very proud of this young man. He wants to be a journalist and is very intense about knowing about what is happening in the world. He can't wait to register to vote! He has worked on projects to help build homes. He can't wait to get his turn to change the world.
Son has applied to two universities: Ohio University and Penn State. The day before his 18th birthday, he received an acceptance letter from Ohio U to be a Pre-Journalism Major. He is still waiting to hear from Penn State.
Something that makes me especially proud, though, is knowing all my son had to go through to get to the place he is now. Son was born with no roof to his mouth--no hard or soft palate. He had 4 surgeries to close his mouth, and a myriad of sets of ear tubes placed in his ears; so he could hear speech clearly. He had speech therapy from the age of 18 months until 4th grade. Son started life needing special feeding bottles. He was especially shy around people who did not know him, as he knew they would not understand a word he said. He had intense pain after each surgery, such that I had to hold his arms and legs down to feed him with a syringe. He and I would cry together, but it had to be done to keep him from starving and dehydrating.
I knew things were turning around 1/2 way through 2nd grade. My son would not speak out in class. He had to always be called on to answer anything. One day, he came home from school with a note from the teacher. He told me he'd gotten into trouble. I opened the note--it read: T---- had to stay in for recess today, as he would not be quiet during the time I was teaching. The teacher then added a huge happy face :-). She knew she had to apply the same rules to T----, but she also knew how exciting it was that he had to be called out for talking!
And now, he is 18 and a senior in high school. He is well-liked among his peers and is very talkative! Making up for lost time :-) It's been a long road, but he has become a fine young man; and I am grateful.
This is an open thread. I am drinking a cabernet this evening. Please come on in and have a glass of wine or perhaps a different beverage. What's on your mind tonight?