My Perfect Ten (year old)

Homemade birthday pie (Door County cherry)
baked with love by my mother-in-law

One week ago today, my son turned 10. I can hardly believe how quickly ten years has passed. There's so much nostalgia with your first born. You remember everything so vividly because it's all happening to you for the first time. Or maybe it's just because I almost gave birth on a boat during my dad's surprise 65th birthday party cocktail cruise. Either way, I found the whole experience to be rather surreal.

This week my son marked his tenth birthday with a wellness visit at the doctor on Monday. He is in the tenth percentile for both height and weight. As a mom it's really difficult to let your kids grow up...so having a child who is small for his age doesn't help.

What does help is when you have moments that reinforce your little person is becoming a decent human being. Mine came on Tuesday.

Let me back up a minute. My kids have a choice for their birthdays. They can have a small party with 3 friends and keep the gifts or they can have a large party and donate the gifts. My son always chooses the large party...an annual baseball game at the school playground. This year his charity was the Ronald McDonald House.

Tuesday we delivered all the donated items. The people at the Ronald McDonald House were so pleased and I think a bit surprised that a young man would forgo his birthday gifts. I was incredibly proud of him.

Having said that, he didn't go without presents completely. He was showered with gifts from our family which he got to keep. He informed me that it was his best birthday ever. Apparently the cash and gift cards he received this year were much more desirable than the sweatpants and bedding he received last year.

The birthday week came to an end yesterday when he played golf with his dad and his grandpa. It was his first time playing nine holes on a real golf course (not a par 3). He got to try out his new hybrid golf club which was his birthday present from his grandparents. My dad got a birthday present of sorts as well. He shot a 47 and beat his grandson and son-in-law.