Having a 10 Year Old

As adults we realize that the age milestones don’t matter as much. You aren’t that different the day after your birthday than the day before it. At ten though, that wasn’t the case, and today my son turns ten.

Looking back on his life, I see phases instead of years. The first phase was the worst. I know lots of people disagree with me, but let me put this in prospective. You have to feed him, change his dirty diapers, and care for him in every way; and in return he doesn’t let you sleep. You can’t even play with him, because he just lays there!

The next phase brought with it a little fun, but it was also the hardest so far as a parent. He was old enough play. Not as much as I would have liked, but we got to play around and watch cartoons together (although his taste in cartoons didn’t quite match mine). However, it also involved potty training. Xavier isn’t especially patient, and taking the time out of your busy play schedule to use the grown up potty seemed like a concept he would never grasp. I felt like we were banging our heads against the wall, but eventually Xavier decided it was time and started using the bathroom just in time to start the next phase, school.

The start of school brought another phase and a drastic change. Since I work from home, I was used to being around Xavier all day, but now it was different. Even with the changes, this phase was better than the last. Xavier was older and able to play even more things. We had a lot of fun playing frisbee with his friends after school. His taste in cartoons got better too, so we could enjoy superhero cartoons together! As he got older, he also got smarter, which made him much easier to talk to and relate to. It’s been a great phase, but I see it coming to an end.

The phases have only been getting better, so I look forward to the next phase, but I also look to it with some apprehension. As a parent, entering a new phase means that you really don’t know what to expect. Xavier turning ten signals the start of his transition into manhood, and I see it happening. He’s more independant than ever. He does far more grown up things, such as hunt and use a hatchet to chop down trees and fashion weapons. He’s also starting to show preferences in the things he learns, he’s starting to specialize his knowledge.

He’s growing up, and I love it.