For Nate on his 19th birthday.

August 10, 2010

I commented to a room full of people the other say that my son was about to turn 19 and I was so excited. I was then bombarded with questions like, what does he do? What are his goals? What are his hobbies? What college is he going to and what makes him special?

What makes Nathaniel Elijah Turner special? He is mine… all mine…

He is the most handsome, talented skateboarder who has ever walked the earth. What is special about him, the twinkle in his eyes, the way he laughs, the way he knows exactly what I am thinking without me speaking. The way he gobbles like a turkey. The way his hair curls and the funny way his fingers bend when he sneaking up on his Chihuahua. I love the way he pulls in his lips when he trying to focus while skateboarding and the way he rolls his eyes when I ask something dumb (which is all the time). But most of all I love that he is my son. I gave birth to him and there will never be another child to come from this body. He is my skate boarding, guitar playing, pizza roll decimating, highlander who will always have the brightest smile and the most enduring patience.

We have a million things in common the most important being the ability to enjoy the ridiculous and laugh at minutia. Our enjoyment of the simple things like the kitchen dance, and cheesy pizza roll tater tot casserole. That we think there is nothing more blessed than the puppies and the 5 pound can of nacho cheese from Sam’s club. That he wanted the 6 pound can of Ravioli’s and was determined to eat it all.. lol that was crazy. We both love to skateboard (although step dad has confiscated mine ) . We love music and lyrics and discuss both for hours. We love art and mayhem and the wind and sneaking out for midnight cheeseburgers, with one extra for the pug. We love Dr. Pepper and long days in our pajamas and Indie films. We are both eccentric and fiercely loyal. We love deeply and look for joy in the everyday. We both want to travel the world. He is not my friend, I have friends and so does he. What I am is his mother and I wouldn’t have it any other way and he knows it. I am also his biggest fan and he is the same for me.

Do I want the world for him, yes, at least whatever part of it he wants.

Do I want him to be successful, of course. However, I want him to be successful at whatever is going to make him happy. If that means he spends the rest of life playing in a band and skateboarding while paying his bills working retail, so be it. I used to be so hung up on where he was going and what he was doing what he was going to do with his life, I forgot that it was his life and I am just a small part of it.

What I want most is for him to get up every day happy to be alive and content in himself.

He is the perfect child for the quirky, kinky haired, dorky, eccentric mother that is me. God knew what he was doing when he gave him to me and I thank him everyday for the honor of being Nate mom. Is he perfect yes, he is perfect for me and that makes him truly special.