Where has time gone? From a baby to 12. I can't believe he is almost a teenager. With Dylan, life has always been an adventure. He has always had to taste things, touch things, experience everything life has to offer, just living in the moment. Not only different by gender, Dylan is different from Abby in almost every way, like day and night.
Abby takes life seriously, Dylan has a hard time being serious for anything. If he is in trouble, he is nervously laughing. In class, he revels in being the class clown, much to his teachers' dismay. In third grade, Dylan had a teacher who truly appreciated who he was and how he thought. He was the only one in his class who laughed at the teacher's jokes, he understood adult humor and wit at a very young age. When other boys ride in our car, Dylan has them laughing so loud I can't think.
Dylan has an extremely creative mind. If there is a story to tell, he will give you all the details and even include or elaborate on ones that do not exist. When he was younger, walking into his school lunch room was always an adventure. "Mrs Murphy, does Dylan have a pet jaguar that lives in his room?" Well, yes, he has a jaguar, but it is a stuffed animal that is on his bed. "Does Dylan have sharks in his bathtub?" Yes, there are numerous plastic ones that float with him. "Does Dylan have a jacuzzi in your house?" "Yes, but it is in the master bathroom."
Dylan has always had a curious mind, wondering how things work. I could tell numerous stories from his younger years but I will tell only a few. When we travelled with him when he was a baby, we always used his stroller as a high chair. When he was around 9 months or so, we put him on the floor after dinner. We looked up and saw that he was spinning the wheels to watch how the wheels worked. When he was four, I noticed the dog licking the family room carpet only to discover that she was licking raw egg into the carpet. Dylan I said, "why is there raw egg in the carpet?" "Momma, I cracked open the egg to see if a chicken would come out." One spring while I was playing piano, the screen popped out from the back porch and flying petunias which I had just planted in pots, came through the window and landed on the carpet under the piano. "Son, why did you just dig up the flowers mama just planted?" I wanted to pick pretty flowers for you." I had just got a new table cloth, only to come in and see the kitchen window and table cloth covered in orange paint. "Dylan why is there orange paint everywhere?" "I painted you a pretty picture."
God has given me the ability over the years to see the heart of our son. So many times in his younger years, he was experiencing his world and behind his motive was a sensitive heart. I used to say that we would be rich if we could bottle his energy. At times, I was so thankful that Abby was five years older to have an extra set of hands and eyes when Paul was on the road. Our nickname for him was Houdini. We would go to the store and he would disappear. One of the proudest moments was this week at teacher/parent conference one of his teachers said, "I love Dylan, he is always wearing a smile and has such a kind and gentle spirit." To me, character counts so much more than perfect grades!
At times, you wonder how to handle the next thing. With Abby, I always thought we were great parents. When Dylan came along, I realized how much wisdom we lacked and how much we had to rely on God. There is a verse that says, raise a child in the way they should go and when they grow old they will return to it. Many parents think this verse means that you should mold and conform a child. We were taught that this means that it is our job, to raise our children to be the best they can be not to conform them into who we think they should be. It is crucial to understand that God created each child to be special, unique with all their strengths and weaknesses and they are formed in His image.
Dylan has taught me so much about God's unconditional love. It took me most of my lifetime to understand that I don't have to do anything to earn God's love for me. I have to accept His free gift that He gave by sending His son and realizing that I need His forgiveness for all the times that I don't follow His plan for my life and the guidelines He has set for all of us to live by, however when I do fall short, He still loves me. He loves me because I was created in His image and am His child. He is so patient with me when I make mistakes over and over again. And some things that I have worked on for many years, He still continues to be patient with me. With this understanding, how can I expect one of our children to overcome some of their character flaws in one time, or one week or one month. Many of our weakness can be a journey that takes years such as having a grateful heart, not complaining, being content with what we have or the list goes on and on. If we understand our own brokeness and can be honest about our weaknesses, how much easier it is to extend grace and perservance to our children.
For a serious mom like me, Dylan continues to teach me to live in the present, to find joy in every occasion. Each year we see growth and maturity taking place. While he at times can be quick to act, we can all learn to laugh a little, not take life so seriously and to enjoy the present instead of looking to the future. I believe that God will use Dylan in a mighty way some day. But most of all, I pray that He grows up to love Jesus as much as I do, no matter what road life takes him.
No comments:
Post a Comment