You're Six Years Old!

Dear Connor,

One of the best words to describe you is, hands down, resilient. From the day you became mobile and no longer spent the majority of the day safely in my arms, you have been privy to an insane number of scrapes, cuts, bruises, falls and bang-ups. You are an active and fast-paced kid and that has definitely come with some consequences but you always bounce back from your accidents surprisingly quickly, oftentimes immediately.

Just yesterday, we were at the park and you were riding your scooter around the track. You were going pretty fast alongside an older boy on his bike when you momentarily lost control and fell off your scooter. The boy on the bike either couldn't or didn't stop and literally ran over you with his bike. This big kid on this big bike rode right over your torso and you had some bad scratches under your arm, but amazingly, that was the extent of the bodily damage. No bruises or broken ribs and barely any blood. You were visibly shaken, but you didn't cry or freak out. In fact, about 20 minutes later, you went back to playing and laughing with your friends as if nothing had happened.

You have had so many close calls, so many incidents like the above where you should have gotten hurt much worse than you did but you have always managed to escape relatively unscathed . . . you must have one amazing guardian angel! And I hope he/she continues to watch over you as carefully as he/she has these past 6 years.

And wow, 6 years! I can't believe you are 6 years old! Happy birthday, sweetheart! It was a major milestone when you turned 5, but you still felt like my little boy. Now that you are 6 and starting first grade tomorrow, it definitely feels as if you have graduated to "big boy" status. First of all, you look like a big boy. You're tall and lean--all traces of the chubby baby-fat cheeks, arms and legs you once possessed are completely gone. Second of all, you talk like a big boy. You talk about everything, from the newest book you read to the camp trip you took to Citifield, with such insight and ingenuity. And third of all, you do so many big boy things: writing your letters so neatly, drawing pictures that are looking more and more lifelike, helping with chores like laundry and cleaning up the toys in your and your siblings' rooms, practicing piano and mastering the songs you've learned, going to the bathroom by yourself in restaurants and finding your way back to our table, fearlessly riding the roller coasters and fast rides at Dutch Wonderland and Hershey Park.

I love you very much, Connor! I hope you continue to live life with the same energy, passion, curiosity, intelligence and, yes, resiliency, you possess now.

Love,
Mom