and here are nineteen reasons why I celebrate and continue to thank God for each precious year I have been priviledged to be Calvin's mum:-
1. Calvin is crazy - like his mum.
2. He dreams better than me and believes in each and every one of those dreams
3. Calvin keeps me sane - even when its apparent that he should not bother.
4. He has never given up on me, even when I gave up on myself.
5. Calvin really and truly loves me - and it will be an honour for me to hand him over to his wife some day, (because I hope the woman will know she will be part of, or all of Calvin's harem ha ha!)
6. This young man is strong, tenacious and full of sh.. When he has messed up big time, he comes to tell you himself, like starting to drink at age seventeen and asking you to take a sit so that he tells you straight out.
(I am still furious but I appreciated the honesty ... till we started talking about plastics! I'm still wondering, was he pulling my leg or is he....?)
7. Calvin is alive. With all the ups and downs of his life, the guy should be a psychic case but no .... he talks of growing up with Mike Tyson and Evander Holifield (sp) and true, plates did fly and he learnt early on to duck but these things happen, or do they?
8. There was a time when I used to teach Calvin computers, now he slowly talks to me and explains gadgets, the way one talks to a very sick patient - because he cannot fathom how his once savvy mum is turning into this slow and gadget weary moron. (People, I try, well he has a point about my slowing and I'm glad he mentioned it because.... long story)
9. I am totally happy and grateful to have Calvin learn from me in turn and for him to learn more than what I know and have him teach me (begging and threats work for this one).
10. We have had real tough conversations this year and lucky for both of us, we still have enough honesty and respect for each other to find common ground and continue to be the best of friends. (Some of my friends did not survive teen-age with their children!)
12. I think this might make some parents angry but I think its alright for Calvin to drink openly rather than him do it behind my back and I'm glad that he speaks of plastics because much as one would like to say my child is innocent, there is a real and crazy world out there which is not as friendly as the environment I grew up in used to be so I thank God that we are able to talk, Calvin and I, or rather I am able to have my monologues with him when he is on Facebook and he occassionally looks up and repeats what I would have been saying!
13. For a product of divorced parents, I see and acknowledge Calvin's anger, but he has turned out quite normally. I am very proud of the fact that most of this is his own doing because Calvin is a fighter.
14. Physically, Calvin has grown taller and he wishes for a beard! Considering yours truly and his father, I think he is a reasonably good looker and while his self assessment (over assessment) used to bother me before, I realised that it was just a teenage pride thing and (hopefully) not a lasting part of him.
15. Calvin inherited my sense of humour but I worry because sometimes he can be cruelly honest. The good thing is he can take the same if it is directed at him but I see that it costs him friends. Funny enough, he has managed to retain the friends who are really close and dear to him and for that also, I thank God.
16. While Calvin does not laugh much these days, I still find it good going when he does. I am hoping that the coming year will hold a lot of happy moments for him because he needs to laugh more and that laughter has made many a bad day turn beautiful for me over the years.
17. Calvin has matured and grown so this last year. The young boy has been replaced by a serious young man, too serious, me thinks sometimes. He is determined to work hard to succeed and now he actually is disciplined so much about work I am totally amazed and pleasantly surprised!
18. For a whole while there, I thought Calvin had become tough and uncaring and that he had become, but now, he has gone back to being the pleasant and caring human being he once was. Of late, there is even a lot of thoughtfulness about other people and I know he is totally and madly in love with one girl, (lets keep our fingers crossed here!)
19. There is a part of Calvin that is constant, unchanging and consistent, and that is his love for the people he cares about, not judging, just accepting them, faults and all and that, makes this young man special. I wish I could loan my son to mothers who wish to have sons who care for them so that they know that there are still such human beings on earth.
Happy birthday Calvin, from me .... with love and the twins .... with love ..... and wishing you many more!!!!
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