When I Grow Up!

When I grow up I want to be my son Colin! Really, I do! At the tender age of 8 he's figured the world out and seems pretty happy in it 99% of the time! The world also seems happy with him 99% of the time! This must be a pretty cool way to travel through life. His mother, which would be me, does not enjoy the same percentages of world happiness as her son does! I'm more a 50/50 girl, and on most days I run 70/30 towards the not so happy. Interesting that I was able to produce a kid that attracts such happy circumstances!

There is that cute factor Colin struts around. He's cute, and sweet, and knows how to work a crowd with the exact amounts of shyness and bravado required to get large groups of people to do what you want. His ability to work a crowd means he gets to choose participating in activities he likes and gets someone else do what he doesn't like. He smiles and gives a hug, then you watch the crowd beg to appease his wants and needs, all for a hug! I,on the other hand, passed the cute stage at about four. I'm silent, or loud, and not much in between. My smile is not something that most people desire to see (in part because my front teeth are stained brown and in part because I no longer have chunky cheeks).

Unlike his mother, Colin doesn't care if you think he's smart (and he is) or competent (and he is). He enjoys who and what goes on around him, and if he isn't enjoying it then he creates his own little world until the circumstances or people change. He welcomes new people like they're family, where the rest of his family stands back to see if the new person makes the cut.

As soon as my car pulls in the drive, or as soon as he sees me there's a goofy, toothless grin and a big hug to greet me! If I'm having a bad day he has a coke ready and snuggles on standby! When I grow up, I want to still have the energy, the flexibility and the confidence to approach life like Colin. I'm 38 now and I haven't mastered Colin's skills on my journey, but on the bright side I have a great guide (even if he's only 8)!