My Dearest Charleston,
Happy birthday to my sweet oldest boy! HOLY MOLY, Bud, how did we get to two digits already?! It feels way too soon to have reached this milestone birthday—a whole DECADE of YOU!—but what an honor and a pleasure it is to be celebrating you today.
Ten years ago today, after a long labor that strayed far from the perfect birth I’d imagined, I pushed your tiny body out into this world and held you to my chest for the very first time. I witnessed your first breaths and kissed your small nose and traced your darling ears with my fingertips. Years of dreaming and waiting had led to this moment when I would finally know what it meant to be a mother—to cradle the embodiment of my very heart and soul in my arms, gazing into the face of someone I had only just met but already loved with the fiercest love imaginable. Many women feel like they’ve lost themselves when they become moms for the first time, but for me it was just the opposite: mothering didn’t come naturally to me, but I never doubted that THIS—raising you—was who I was meant to be. We’ve now been at this mother/son thing for ten whole years, and not a day goes by that I don’t thank the Lord for blessing me with the most incredible gift of having you as my child.
It’s been a joy to continue to watch you grow this past year. I worried that as we approached the preteen years you would become sullen or distant or weird; that still may happen, but right now we are in a really sweet spot of your being intelligent and mature and a great conversation partner while still wanting to hang out with me. (You even still ask me for snuggles in bed every night, and though we can’t always make it happen, I sure do treasure those nighttime cuddles.) You’re such a unique and special kid with diverse interests (from Bible trivia and Harry Potter lore to politics and amusement park blueprints) and a plethora of skills and strengths. You are ridiculously smart, bringing your logical thinking, curiosity, and insights into our school time as well as everyday life. You are conscientious and detail-oriented, and I love hearing your creative ideas and witnessing your resourcefulness and unique approach to solving problems. You’re sometimes a little too smart for your own good, and your out-of-the-box thinking and negotiation tactics keep me on my toes, but I’m grateful for your bright mind and confident spirit. Thankfully these are balanced by a kind heart and a sincere desire to live a life pleasing to the Lord. Your faith is genuine and vibrant and it’s such a privilege to be walking alongside you as you grow in your relationship with God.
You have excellent people skills but are also really good at entertaining yourself and doing things on your own. You’re a strong leader and have always been a great big brother to Kali and Sully, and I’ve continued to be grateful for your brotherly skills with Nico. You adore your baby brother and are so sweet and patient with him. You are truly the best firstborn child a mom could ask for; I probably lean on you a little too much sometimes and have to remind myself that you are still a kid, too, and just as much in need of my mothering as your younger siblings. But I want you to know how grateful I am for your maturity and responsibility, and I’m glad that Kalinda and Sullivan and Nickelson have such a wonderful role model and friend in you.
I always enjoy our annual birthday interviews, and this year’s was no exception. I appreciated the humor and personality you brought to each of your answers. Some of your responses surprised me, but the interview as a whole truly captured who you are at this age and I’m glad for this little snapshot of ten-year-old Charleston, in your words.
How do you feel about turning ten?
I feel excited to turn ten because at Saints [homeschool sports program] most of my friends are ten years old so they’re in a different group. Once I turn ten I’ll be able to go in the same group.
How would you describe yourself in three sentences or less?
I’m a Christian, I like video games, I like pranks and stuff like that. I want to be president when I grow up, I want to go into politics.
How are you different now from who you were one year ago?
I don’t know, I can’t remember one year ago. Oh, oh, we’re doing our interview in a different spot from last year. [Mom’s take: I’d say you are a little more cynical and more reserved, more self-aware and more intentional. Still fun-loving and humorous and eager to please.]
How do you like to spend your free time?
By building Legos, winning contests, and playing with toys and drawing and coloring and writing and listening to Odyssey.
How would you describe our family?
Healthy, both literally and spiritually. Besides the soda I’m probably going to have on date tonight.
What is your favorite book? Movie? Show? Song?
Favorite book: Harry Potter, maybe book Five, I don’t know why you and everybody else don’t like it, then there’s also Four, that’s good too. I really like the movie of Harry Potter Three, but none of the Harry Potters will ever be my favorite movie. Favorite show: I’m liking Kim Possible and Phineas and Ferb and Lego Ninjago. Movie: I don’t know, maybe . . . I don’t know, we have our phases, I used to like the Lego Movie but the twins watched it so much I don’t like it anymore, it happens with every movie, especially Encanto. So favorite movie currently, maybe . . . I feel like there’s maybe a movie I really like but I can’t remember. Now we can go to favorite song: no idea.
What is your favorite/least favorite food?
My least favorite, I have no idea, but so far I’d probably say raw mushrooms although I think I remember when I was five having some kind of cheese I didn’t like, I think it might have been cottage cheese? For favorite food I’d say crab, but I like cheeseburgers too, and then there’s ice cream and soda? So you can just go with crab.
Where is your favorite place in the world?
If I’d been to Paris I’d probably say Paris. Or Kalahari [a local water park where we’re celebrating your birthday, belatedly, this July], maybe Legoland.
What is an accomplishment that you’re proud of?
Surviving the school year. And increasing my large amount of comedy.
What is something that scares you?
Grasshoppers.
Describe your perfect day.
There’d probably be a few roller coasters and playing with a lot of new toys, and maybe swimming a little bit at the pool and then a lot of video games and it would have to be really long to fit all that stuff into one day. If you want to hear the real thing, the day would have to be a lot longer than 48 hours even if I only slept six of those hours.
What is something you’re curious about?
What am I gonna get for my birthday, for one thing. And for the second, how big is Kalahari gonna be?
What is the best part of your life right now?
Winter break because there was no school and I had so much free time . . . yet somehow I didn’t get anything done. [We took all of December off of school and you used that time to work on Christmas presents and the Christmas festival you hosted for our family, but you didn’t do as much playing as you would have liked.]
What is something you wish were different?
I wish I still went to the Rock instead of Fortis. [Last year’s vs this year’s homeschool enrichment programs.]
Do you have any goals for the coming year?
You mean 2026? Or for being ten? I’d say not getting sick during the summer so I can go to all my camps.
What do you want your life to look like in twenty years?
So when I’m thirty years old? I want to be a state governor ’cause you can’t be president until you’re thirty-five. I’d probably want to be married and have about two or three kids. I’d want to be rich. I’d probably want to live wherever the governor lives. Texas, probably, maybe California, they need it more.
What is a skill you would like to learn?
There’s a lot of things I’d like to learn but we already covered them. How to get rich and how to become president. I want to get better at video games and Trail Racers [Trail Life derby races], although for that award I have in my room [you placed third in December’s race] I’m not sure I can get much better. I also want to learn to type, and to code and program (same thing).
If you started your own business, what would it be?
I’ve always thought maybe once I’m done being president I can open up a pizza place. I would do Italian probably except that I’m president, that might be bad representation for our country.
If you could give a message to your 5-year-old self, what would it be?
I’d tell him all about school and how not fun it is so that him (I) could enjoy all of my toys and the joys of life before school got in the way.
If you could give a message to your adult self, what would it be?
Am I the president yet? If I am: “don’t forget to add comedy to those debates.” If I’m not: “are you even in politics?!”
If you could share one message to the world, what would it be?
I’d read the whole Bible to the world. Because that’s the most important thing. Me: What do you want people to learn from the Bible? Jesus!
Charleston, I hope that this birthday is all you wished it would be. Thank your for indulging your mom in doing this interview and taking some pictures. And THANK YOU for these past ten years that I’ve had the privilege of being your mom. As my firstborn you are my forever guinea pig and the recipient of all my worst parenting faux pas, but you have always had—and will never lose—my full heart. You are amazing, kiddo, and I sure do love you.
Love Always and Forever,
Mom(my) <—– Thanks for still indulging me with this name. It’s been years since you’ve called me anything but Mom, but I love that you know how I miss the “mommy” days and that you compromise by addressing me as Mom(my) in your notes. Oh, and thanks for all those notes that are truly just my favorite!
