EIGHT IS GREAT?

My Kaikai turned eight this month. He is at this point that I have not been able to visualize since I became a parent. That is, he is a kid.
As usual, I will eventually get to my point after a wordy explanation that can only be tolerated by my mother (cause she's put up with my ramblings for 30+ years now) and possibly Kait, who already feels the same way about life moving too quickly along. So my Kaikai turned eight this month. When he turned one, I grudgingly admitted he was no longer an infant, but a baby, I guess. When he turned two, I was ok with it cause he was at least still a toddler. Three wasn't all that bad cause he was still dependent on us, but FOUR! Four was awful - there was no other word for it, he had a best friend, he was in preschool, he knew he needed to eat his broccoli because that makes you strong and healthy. Five was torture, because kindergarten, really? How did we get here? Six - great it just keeps coming...Seven, well at least he's not baptized yet, not in Scouts, he's still little.

And here we are.

He's growing up and while that is what we all want for our kids, it's not always easy to watch. I think a bit of it has to do with the sweet innocence slipping away as they open their eyes to the world around them. I didn't have to explain to my baby the painful or confusing intricacies of the world. My kid, however, will have to have it explained by mom or someone else will do it for her and she may not like the explanation.

While I want my kids to grow up healthy and happy, I also desperately want to over-protect and over-shelter them. That, however, would conflict with the "healthy" part of healthy and happy. I suppose I want to protect him - not from the reality of divorce, racism, war, homosexuality, death, poverty, etc - but from the blazing tempers and drama that surround those issues. He will wonder why he has all the fresh fruit and veggies he could ever want (and indeed, he often does NOT want them) but those little kids his age on the t.v. commercials are starving. How his friend can say he has two mommies and no daddy, doesn't it take a mommy & daddy to make a baby? And I am not afraid to answer these questions, to address these issues, but I know that the answers are not always satisfactory. He will need to form his own opinions and that just means more innocence slipping away.

but I digress...spectacularly...as usual...you still with me?...don't blame ya if you're not...

So here's my sweet Kai, a big boy eight year old. He is **gasp!** healthy and happy. For all the doom & gloom drama I am prone to, I am actually excited to see him grow into his own little man. He is a very giving little guy, with a serious sense of what's "fair" for everyone. To the point of bossiness. He is so good to his brothers, and he always gives me a huge hug when I get home from work, cause he knows how much I miss him. He is the underdog's defender. If he happens to be the underdog, he gets irritated like any kid but just works harder to better himself. He likes attention of course, but is always happy to give it out and praise others. He just wants to be a good boy, he takes his responsibility as the oldest quite seriously. He loves photography, collecting anything, riding his bike, his brothers, road trips, dogs, and his whole family.