Almost Seven

It's beyond embarrassing that my last post was more than six months ago. It's a testament to how busy life with a six year old boy has been but it's also totally terrifying, because this fantastic year with him went incredibly fast and is now almost over. In just a few hours, E will no longer be 6.

One cause of the long delay was the dreadful collapse of our aquarium and loss of our fish. So happy was I with having office mates that I put too many fish in a tiny tank, and one by one....it was awful. E and I grieved long and hard. It took about 6 months for me to be able to bring up the topic. And everytime I said "I think we ought to get another fish" he'd say no. So one day I just came home with one. At first, he was angry. Then he drew a picture ("I'm the Goddess Athena and I love life!") hung it next to the aquarium, and a love story was born. Athena is a "moon" betta. She is so beautiful--pale blue & purple--like a shimmery, swimming moonstone.

Every morning when E gets up, he says hello to her. And every day when he gets home from school, he greets her. And he worries about her when we are away from home. We shower her with love and dote on her. So I'm hoping that, when we one-day-soon get our dog (E has mentioned a chihuahua named "El Condor" or a black mutt we'll call "Darth Muffin") we will (I hope) be prepared.

Plus, E's got fans from such far flung locations as Cyprus, Iceland, London, California and New Jersey, who've been asking after him all this while, I owe them an update.

So here, in a very quick nutshell, are some of the most magical things about living with a six year old boy:

My umbrella stand is filled with lightsabers, a bow and a bunch of arrows, several swords, a pirate blunderbust, and some awesome sticks, carried home from Central Park, and meant to be kept forever. Everytime I reach for an umbrella, I realize how lucky I am to have all this essential boy gear at hand, and I'm acutely aware that it won't always be there.

E was chased through the park (with his friend Z) by a pack of private school girls. Nevermind the pleated skirts and plaited hair, these girls were fast. On the way home, eyes ablaze, hair wild, short of breath, E turned to me and said, "Mom, girls have such savage hearts." Boy, do we! Living with a six year old boy has opened my eyes to how tender-hearted boys can be and how hard on them we girls can be. This is such a simple, raw fact--but it's so complex and strikes at the heart of our mars/venus stuff--that I was grateful for the reminder.

We all need love.


Probably the thing that most blows my mind is walking into E's room and seeing him sitting reading, intently. It's incredible to realize he no longer needs me in the most fantastic way. The world is wide open now. Oh, sweet freedom. It's now his.

So much is changing, so fast. The only consolation I have is knowing that it just gets better and better.

To the six year old boys of the world--you rule. I love you all--truly, madly, deeply.