To Matt...on his 18th Birthday

My Oldest child turned 18 on Sunday. Since #1 son is working at camp this summer & we knew we wouldn't see him on his Birthday, hubby & I took him out to lunch a week ago when we went to pick our youngest child up from camp.
The newly minted adult is the one with the goatee on the left, in the photo.

I can't believe that it's been 18 years since I gave birth to this child!
Ok...on second thought, some days it feels like it's been DECADES since he was born and that he would never leave home.lolol

He has grown to be a first rate human being, if I do say so myself. He has a generous spirit. The depth of his empathy for others amazes me at time. He showed he has the heart of a peacemaker at an early age. He was a protective big brother to his siblings when he was little. Of course, with the teenage years, he also has become their biggest vexation!
He also possesses a fine wit and can get crazy with the best of them.


He is a hard worker. He is self-directed and has leadership qualities. He is goal oriented. He is politically aware in ways far beyond his contemporaries.

He is also stubborn beyond belief. That is a double edged sword in life....it can work for you or if you aren't careful, it can be your downfall. He can be quick to anger but his heart leads him back to apologize just as quickly.

At the age of 1 & 1/2, he could concentrate on something for hours that interested him...like puzzles. But he still only spoke 1 word with regularity,"More!"

He suffered with some early childhood physical challenges. Gastric problems and then having to wear leg braces as a toddler. He never complained. He was the happy child who was content & could 'play' with anything, even the dirty laundry pile.

At 2 & 1/2, he memorized word-for-word all the dialogue & songs in every Thomas the Tank Engine Video we owned....all 11 that had been released up to that point in time. He showed amazing concentration skills. But he still couldn't color within the lines or use scissors well at age 7.

In the preteen years he suffered through some serious bullying at school. It was a trying time(and upsetting to me especially)but he stood up to the bullies and used the proper channels to resolve it. The stubbornness helped him through that phase of his life. It also helped him as a midfielder on his soccer team, where the kids where always much bigger than he was.

He had a beautiful singing voice and was the little boy in front who sang with such emotion in the school choral concert that everyone noticed him. He had a flair for the dramatic, which helped him secure a starring role in the 5th grade play. He felt special when the principal asked him to play the trumpet at school during the morning announcements.

Despite his performing arts talents, in high school he chose to go out for wrestling all 4 years, even though it was the most physically demanding sports team in his high school and he had no prior training or exposure to this sport and little chance of being a starter on his team.
When his friends who were more experienced and 'better' wrestlers with more opportunities to compete fell away from the team, because it was too much work, he stuck it out until the end.

Other parents pushed their kids about grades & extra-curricular activities. We knew our son would push himself harder than we ever could so we let him set his own pace. He never did get to wrestle varsity but loved the sport and enjoyed the journey rather than the destination. He was/is an excellent student and has awards, honor rolls/society, leadership conference, college work while still in high school, & a fine mind to show for it. He is a thinking person which is hard to find nowadays.

He spent almost the entire senior year in high school unofficially tutoring a friend of his. Not for some credits for volunteer work to graduate or anything, just because they needed help and he could assist with that need. He didn't talk about it, he just did it.

I feel confident that whatever he wants to do in life, he will find success. I have no reservations that he is ready to step out of the nest and spread his wings. We'll be here if his feathers get ruffled. We've got his back.

You can depend on my son. His word is his bond.
He is a good, decent person who is capable of greatness.

He does his own laundry but he still can't cook.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MATT!

Love always,
Mom