I feel myself slipping into pre-panic mode about how fast my children really are growing up. Everyone says it happens, but it's hard to believe until...well, until right about now! Yikes. I said it last year, but I really mean it now- Luke's not a little boy any more. He really took that "big boy" stuff to heart and grew right into it this year.
Luke and I had a conversation this morning about home rules and responsibility and what would happen if we didn't have any (carrying on from a lesson we had the other day.) I suggested we go for a day or two without any rules and see what happens. Oh boy, did he love that! I snickered and sneered at the thought of him starving and wallowing in a mess of dirty dishes and dirty laundry as I took the day off myself ...until I realized that not much would really change for Luke. In fact, the whole thing would probably backfire on me! Luke is just plain independent. And responsible. And conscientious.
I realized today that if I stopped functioning in my role, he would probably be just fine.
I'm not sure how I feel about this.
And I don't take credit.
And No, Luke's not perfect.
But he IS a good boy, and I am lucky to be his Mom, even if he doesn't need me. And...
It's his birthday.
Here are a few highlights from this past year:
In November, Luke received the first-ever "Mr. DeGaetani Award" at his school. The award was named after his retiring principal, and created to honor students who exemplify the Core Values of "respect, responsibility, honesty, service, leadership and good citizenship." I have been so impressed with the emphasis our kids' school has placed on these values, and was so happy when Luke was chosen for this award. They made such a big deal out of it at the assembly that none of us were quite prepared for it (I didn't have a camera.) But the school did take a picture of the moment and has it posted in the hall.
In February, Luke was selected to take a test to determine if he should be placed in our district's Gifted Program. Candidacy for this program is not based on academic achievement (grades), but on the student's ability to apply what he is learning in complex and thoughtful ways. It's a program that nurtures independent thinking. I was curious to see how he would do. When we got the test scores back, the results were not straight-forward. There were a number of different scores and tables. I did my best to calculate his overall score and thought that perhaps he had barely made the 98th percentile overall (required for passing), but I wasn't sure, so we called the school counselor. "BARELY PASSED??!" she said, "NOOO-- Luke is highly gifted!"
Wow. Okay.
We're looking forward to seeing how Luke enjoys this program. He had a great year at school this past year- his 5th school in 4 years (gulp) He makes friends so easily, and adapts well to change- thank heavens. At the end of the year, all of the 3rd graders put on a "Living Museum." Luke dressed up as a man from Ancient Mali and stood ready to present a brief dialogue on the history of Mali after pressing a button on his hand. I was so impressed with how serious and articulate he was with his performance- it made me smile.
Luke's not all seriousness, though. He definitely lets loose at home.
Goof-Ball.
The other night was Luke's Back-to-School night. I asked Creighton if he would like to go with Luke, since I had gone with the girls to their orientations and I know how much Luke loves spending time with his Daddy. Luke was there and immediately looked at me with concerned eyes. "Well...," he said "actually, Dad, I really want Mommy to go with me. It's just.....well....is that okay?"
We both laughed, and my heart smiled.
Maybe he does still need me for some things.
Happy Birthday Big Boy.
1 comment:
That is so sweet! Luke and Samuel were having so much fun at the pool tonight and I thought it was cute when we left Luke said "See you tommorow and the next day and the next day......and every day but Saturday!" I am excited for the boys to be in the same class!
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