Growing Up

Dax loves to read. And he has a lot of books. And we read them over. And over. And over.

Basically I don't need to "read" him books because I have the majority of them memorized. But Dax does too, so if I ever slip up, he's right there to correct me. It's my favorite when he reads to me at night. He doesn't really read yet, but he recites the books to me. And truth be told, some are really long. And he has them memorized. Every word.

Our favorites around here are Dr. Seuss, Little Critters, Bernstein Bears and anything superhero related. Oh, and as of late the Potty Book which I am ready to burn. A recent fav is one Dax got from his Aunt Jamie for his birthday called "When I Grow Up". It's a rhyming story that gives all sorts of ideas of things kids can be when they grow up in order of the alphabet. It starts, "When I grow up I know I can be, whatever I dream of....". I love the message of it. It teaches how you can be anything you want, from an acrobat to a yodeler, a carpenter to a Quiz show MC and anything in between. It teaches how it doesn't matter what you choose to be when you grow up as long as you choose from your heart.

I've never really heard Waytt or Dax say what they wanted to be when they grow up, but I instantly thought of this book when I saw them running outside the other day changing their apparel from one thing to the next. A cowboy, a fireman, a superhero, a pirate. I started daydreaming, imagining what my little boys are going to grow up to be. Will they choose to put their life on the line each day and become a fireman or police man, will they want to be a rocket scientist or professional baseball player, or a chef or architect?

It's so exciting and so terrifying all at the same time. I panicked. Am I doing everything I should be to mold these little boys? Am I teaching them good habits, principles, values, hard work, and dedication to help them to succeed when they get older? The responsibly as a parent overwhelmed me, which it tends to do from time to time (read: all the time). I guess the panicked showed on my face because Dax asked me what I was "dreaming" about. I told him I wondered what he was going to be when he grew up. He looked at me like I was ridiculous, which he does from time to time (read: all the time). He says to me, "Mom, I'm gonna be Dax." I smiled a great big smile.

I had forgotten and he reminded me. All my worries were put to rest. No matter what my boys grow up to be, they will always be Dax and Wyatt. They will always be brothers and they will always be my boys. And although I don't expect them to always want to be a pirate or a superhero those days will probably come faster than I care to think about it.

So for today, and as long as I can, I'll keep my Dax as the cowboy-pirate-superhero that he is and I'll keep my Wyatt as the horse riding-fireman he is. Because I don't want them to grow up at all.