- scout benjamin gerber
scout, today, you are celebrating your first double digit birthday. leading up to your big day, you said that you couldn't believe you were turning 10! you said you loved being 9 and hoped 10 would be as good. i feel the same way. nine was wonderful, with so much growth emotionally. you've gone from a little boy to a big boy and it's been pure joy watching you grow.
my tradition continues with a special birthday post to you. here are TEN things i want you to remember as you enter this next phase of your life:
1. You have a heart of gold. if i asked you what your superpower is, you might tell me it's your soccer skills, or that you are great at math or spelling. it's true, you are good at these things, but i'd say your superpower is your sensitivity. you feel everything tremendously scout: time passing, memories, love and loss. just last night, we found your childhood blanket in the hall closet. you held it close and told me how many memories you have of that blanket. your eyes were a little watery as you shared one with me. oh scout, hold on to this part of yourself...don't let society tell you that has to be stuffed down or hidden. you can be strong and feel everything. in fact, feeling makes you stronger. keep that big heart of yours as you grow - it illuminates all those in it's path.
2. You don't give up - your dad and i know this, and your teachers, coaches and instructors recognize this as well. they admire your ability to focus and how determined you are. your 3rd/4th grade teacher {same teacher}, said you had "tenacity". whether you are doing khan academy, learning spanish, memorizing a recital piece, or learning a new soccer skill, you don't give up until you get it. sometimes it takes a few hours, a few weeks, months or even a year or longer for something really difficult. you are still working on mastering the rainbow {a soccer skill}, but you will stick to something until you get it. you seem to intuitively know that it doesn't matter how many times you fail, the important thing is to get right back up and try again. i hope this is something that you will do throughout your life scout. it will serve you well.
3. You learned to whistle - Every year brings lots of firsts, and this year, you learned to whistle. you are pretty proud of yourself. you and your father are the only ones in the house that can do it. one day you simply announced you couldn't whistle and started practicing. you weren't a natural, but you kept at it for weeks until you got it. now you can whistle beautifully and can carry a tune. the star wars and star trek themes are your current favorites, and i know that when you are whistling, you are in a good mood. you promised to teach me to whistle one of these weekends. {i wish you luck son}
4. You still love to read. you've been reading for 6 years now scout, and your vocabulary and reading comprehension surpassed our new president's several years ago{no exaggeration}. you still eagerly share that jk rowling's harry potter series sparked your love of reading and it's the best series ever written! the first time you read it was in 1st grade and you've read the entire series four times since then. you never grow tired of it and I vow to get you and your brother to the wizarding world of harry potter at universal studios in hollywood this fall. other favorites books series of yours are: the unwanteds, the mysterious benedict society, and the ranger's apprentice. you still bring a book with you every where you go and you don't care what others might think about your sitting in the large part of the shopping cart at target reading while i shop and push you around. i'll visit the home décor aisle to get you a pillow for your back to make you comfortable, and you read away. you often get interrupted by mothers saying how refreshing it is to see a child with their head in a book rather than electronics and you smile and go back to your reading. it's nothing new for you...it's just the way it's always been. on those rare occasions you don't have a book, i will give you my phone, but it's the exception. {like most males, you still detest shopping so i try not to bring you out with me when i have errands to run}
5. You travelled to Barcelona - after your best friend, spencer, moved to spain, we decided to save and visit him during spring break this year. what a trip we had! though the food and architecture didn't excite you like it did your mom, seeing your best friend again was a bit of heaven for you. spencer greeted us at the airport with his parents with a sign that said ' welcome to barcelona scout and angela'. i am sure you will never forget this trip, and i will never forget the look on your face as you reunited with your buddy. the highlights of this trip for you was attending school with spencer {you even wore a uniform}and going to a professional soccer game. you saw fc barcelona play sevilla and win 3-0. lionel messi scored 2 of the goals and suarez scored one with a backwards bicycle kick that was truly AMAZING! even this middle-aged momma was impressed.
6. Soccer is your passion - this is your 3rd year of competitive soccer. you played with riptide your first year and then moved to blast which is more local. your love for the game hasn't slowed down even an teensy bit. if anything, it grows stronger by the day. you are passionate about it scout - playing, watching, and learning everything you can about the sport. every parent wants their child to find their passion. there's nothing more gratifying to us when our children do, and you my son, have found yours. this may change from soccer to something else someday, but i hope you always have passions. they make life more meaningful and interesting. your dad and i will support whatever it is that excites you. for now that's soccer and it's been fun seeing your growth and maturity over the past year. when you lose a game, you still get angry or sad {depending on the situation}, BUT there are no more verbal outbursts from you and no big bursts of tears. you feel deeply, but you stay composed on the field. we are proud of you scout, but more importantly, you are proud of yourself. you've come a long way.
7. You love chocolate and are highly ticklish - you love all types of chocolate, but twix candy bars are your favorite! snickers and kit kat are the runner ups. you also are crazy ticklish and not just under your arms or your ribs either. you are ticklish practically EVERYWHERE and this makes it rather tricky to give the massages you ask for after jr. lifeguards or soccer practice. you ask for one but then you giggle and jump up as soon as i touch you. we work around it by me using the 'karate chop' method on your back. oh scout when we want to torture you, we all know what to do - we tickle you!!
the last are just things i want you to be aware of as you go from little boy to big boy:
8. Pay attention to your life - you do a pretty good job of this now, finding ladybugs or snails that the rest of us just walk right by. you use the word 'savor' alot, and when you eat your dessert slowly, you tell the family you are "savoring" it, just like you do with the easter candy you still have. oh scout, hold on to this because life goes by fast. you are beginning to see this as you say goodbye forever to your single digit years. there is SO much to notice in the every day moments. as you get older, life will get busier and more complicated, but i encourage you to slow down like you do now and notice things. when we pay close attention to our experiences and our feelings, we are rewarded with fuller days and richer memories.
9. Never feel entitled - you don't struggle with this scout, but in a world where kids are overindulged and helicoptered, i wanted to list this because there is nothing worse to me than entitlement - in a child or an adult. your father and i have tried to teach and model for you how to work hard for everything you want - whatever that is. we expect you to carry your weight at home as part of our family. we know when things are handed to us or come too easily, and can't appreciate them the same way we do when we work hard for them. we hope your motivations will be for things that bring meaning to your life. if our family has a motto, it's "people and experiences are important, things aren't". though material things are nice and make our lives comfortable, we want you to always feel you have enough because you do. we are extremely fortunate to live as we do every day and we want you to recognize this. we have way more than we need. as a family, we make an effort to show gratitude - in the language that we use, to volunteering occasionally, and even sending thank you notes. all these little things are important - they bring an attitude of gratitude, teach you responsibility and ward off the entitlement monster.
10. Know you are loved, always - messing up is part of life buddy. you are going to make mistakes - lots of them. we all do. the point is to learn from them, let them go and start over. your dad and i will always love you, even when you behave in ways that we don't love. we encourage you to forgive others when they mess up. we also want you to try and surround yourself with friends who lift you up and make good choices, and who share similar values as you. you are still young and finding your way scout. don't let mistakes freeze you in your tracks. admit them, grow from them and move on. we do this as your parents every day, and you still love us, so be assured that when you make mistakes, we will still love you too...always.
happy birthday double digit kid!! you inspire our family in so many ways, including your big brother. {just re-read the birthday card he gave you}. we're lucky to have you as our youngest family member. you make our household SO much fun with your intensity, tenacity, and your big beautiful heart. we look forward to celebrating your birthday at the trampoline park soon!
love,
mom
your stats at age 10: you are 58 lbs. and 53" tall.
you are just about to grow out of size 7 clothing and into size 8. you wear a size 3 shoe.
disclaimer: i felt compelled to put in that trump reference because scout and i just heard him in an interview and OMG - it's truly pitiful. it's still shocking to me that this man is supposed to represent our country. i wish i could pack up and move somewhere else until he's out of office. ugh.
disclaimer: i felt compelled to put in that trump reference because scout and i just heard him in an interview and OMG - it's truly pitiful. it's still shocking to me that this man is supposed to represent our country. i wish i could pack up and move somewhere else until he's out of office. ugh.
