We all have dates that stick in our minds – some more than others – and the date of this issue of the St. Paul Journal is one of those dates for me.
April 25 is the date I first become a mother. He was a small baby, not even weighing 7 lbs, although the doctors had estimate he would be well over 8lbs. He put me through over 30 hours of active labour, but when he made his entrance, he immediately changed our world.
It has been a busy 12 months prior to Gavin’s birth. I graduated from college, we moved back to St. Paul, I started work at the St. Paul Journal, we bought our first house, and we got married.
I guess it must have seemed like the icing on the birthday cake to welcome our first child amidst what was a busy time filled with new experiences in our lives. And while it was maybe a little crazy to throw ourselves head first into life, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
While our close friends are only now having babies, or have toddlers to chase after, we have an amazing 10-year-old, who is goofy, loves to laugh, but also has taught me things that I thought I would be teaching him.
One of those things was more than obvious this past weekend, when Gavin went to compete at a karate tournament. While many of the kids go to these events with the goal of winning a medal of some sort, Gavin never seems bothered or worried about that.
As someone who has a bit of a competitive streak (that I tend to try to hide more often than not), Gavin is teaching me that winning isn’t everything. He is completely content with going to a competition, trying his best, and leaving with his head held high, not matter what.
And while I am incredibly proud of him when he does bring home a medal, and he shows pride in imself, it makes me just as proud (maybe even more) to see him walk away from a situation, confident, knowing he did his best, regardless of the outcome.
Other skills that Gavin has taught me are compassion, along with having a blind faith in humanity and the kindness of others.
Looking back a few years, to when Gavin started school, it’s amazing to see how much a child can change with the right support, friends, patience, and faith.
In Grade 1, Gavin went to school with tears in his eyes every single day. Many days, it was more like sobbing cries, which often left me in tears as I walked away from him. But, there were many days where I saw his own peers reaching out to him, taking him by the hand and caring for him.
One day when I asked Gavin if someone at school was being mean to him, thinking that was maybe why he didn’t want to go, his response was simple, and exactly showed who Gavin is: “Why would anyone be mean to me?”
He sees the world in a different way than many people. He sees the good in people, and even when someone is being difficult to deal with, he is able to move on, forgive and forget so easily.
I’m sure as the years go on, there will be many more things my kids teach me. Our second son has taught me a whole different set of life lessons, each one just as important as the last.
Happy first decade of life, Gavin!
