Goodness me, don’t these come round quick! It felt like only yesterday that I was writing T’s 6 Year Update. At least this time round we’re not in a national lockdown, which means we’ve been able to do something a little bit more special for this birthday.
Although not quite LEGOLAND, which was what we had planned for the past two birthdays, we decided to stay local. For breakfast we took him to Nowhere Man for an incredible stack of pancakes, and then we took him for a game of Globalls followed by some fun in the arcades. In between that we ate cake and watched Turning Red and the new Spider-Man: No Way Home. It was a pretty sweet day.
The past 12 months
As with every birthday, there’s always that small worry that T will suddenly change. That he’ll no longer be the boy we’ve known for the past six years. Don’t get me wrong, it’s incredibly exciting and an absolute privilege watching him grow into the human that he is becoming, but what we have right now is awesome. We’re not ready for that to change just yet.
T is incredibly bright and funny, as well as kind, affectionate and gentle in equal measures. He wears his heart on his sleeve and he is generous with his love for family and friends. His conversational skills are also on another level now. He will talk to most people he feels safe around, and dinner table chats often include tons of questions. On the same note, his understanding of relationships and how people work is really coming along too. Last year, ‘everyone’ was his friend, whereas now he’s very selective for a variety of reasons. That being said, he has a lovely bunch of friends at school and he cherishes them deeply.
Speaking of school, we’ve now entered into the realm of SATs (which I’m not really digging at the moment as we’re very much pro kids-being-kids-for-as-long-as-they-can), but T is doing as well as he should be and really enjoys school, which is the most important thing right now. T enjoys reading once he gets going and is currently making his way through Flat Stanley, but math is his strongest subject. He even outdoes his mums some days!
Our proudest moment this year was when he was nominated to be a part of the school council. Whilst at the age of 6 he’s not quite sure what it means, but he’s keen as mustard and is enjoying it so far.
Whilst 5 was fun, 6 has totally trumped 5. It’s been a blast. I can’t really describe it. He has grown so much this year, both physically (he’s still losing those teeth, and is now 95% leg) and mentally. He understands so much about the world around him, and our explanations for certain things can now be upgraded to a different level. Our conversations can be really meaningful sometimes. He’s so smart, y’all.
To balance it out though, my goodness does he get distracted.
Like his mum, he has a habit of going off on different tangents mid-conversation. He often has a billion games and projects going on at once, and give him an opportunity to make a fart joke he’s on it. Fancy some quiet time? Not in this house. I don’t think T knows what silence is – even in the car, whilst walking, or in his sleep.
But, with his energy comes enthusiasm and this comes in the dozens. Ask him to do something, and it may take him a while to warm up and get to it, but he gives it 110%. He’ll also give anything a go at least once.
Dream big, dude!
Despite all the changes that have happened, we can still see the little T we’ve known all this time. He still loves his LEGO, although models are massively intricate these days – some are even kept as ornaments if they’re really special! He still enjoys trains, especially when we have to travel on one, and he still enjoys sport and playing games – although this has now expanded onto the Xbox. Board and card games though are still firm favourites!
This year, T started going to a football club at his school and he’s really enjoying it. Based on how he is with sports, I feel sports are going to be his thing for a long time like his Mama. He just gets them and enjoys taking part. In fact, during conversations around careers he’s now added footballer or football coach to the list. This is now in addition to police officer and pilot. Dream big, dude!
Next year…
If this year is anything to go by, I’m excited about what 7 is going to bring. In September, he starts Year 3 (technically his fourth year in school!). This blows my mind a little as we’re now nearing the halfway mark of his primary school education! Remind me again where this time has gone? We’re happy for him though, as he’s growing into an amazing person.
The baby and then toddler we once knew has certainly disappeared now. In front of us now, however, is this young boy who is absolutely loving life right now. It’s rare he doesn’t have a smile on his face; laughing from his own jokes, or just talking to someone about something on his mind. That being said, he is always up for a kiss and a cuddle still. Hand-holding is now a thing of the past, but we’ll let him have that one!
