Okay, so my kid is brilliant.
And hilarious.
And I haven't done a 'Q-isms' for a while, so this is a whole bunch of his wisdom all in one post.
Q: I'm think I'm going to have two kids. A boy first and then a girl. I'm going to name the boy Joe and the girl Maria.
Me: Why Joe and Maria?
Q: I don't know. I just really like those names. But I guess if I had twins, I let my wife name one and I'd name the other.
Huh, sounds fair. I didn't know 8 year olds thought about things like that.
Q: I'm getting married in the Dominican Republic
Let me tell you this is a far cry from his destination of choice last year, which was Russia...
Q's Daddy: What if your wife doesn't want to get married in the Dominican Republic?
Q: Well, she can go where ever she wants, but I'm going to the Dominican.
Q's Daddy: How could you get married then?
Q: Uh, she could call me...we could get married over the phone.
Ahhhhh, romantic just like his father...
Q: I'm going to stay at my school until high school, and then I've decided to go to Seaquam, not Tamawanis. Then I can go to school with S and B.
Again, do 8 year old boys plan their future like this kid? Last week we spent an hour in a book store while he looked for books. This in and of itself is not exactly odd behavior for a child, but he went around straightening all the books on the shelves as he was looking for books. He didn't even notice he was doing it.
Last week he came out of the bathroom after brushing his teeth, with a huge smile on his face and said, "Mommy, look!!! If I curl the toothpaste tube from the end, it pushes the toothpaste to the end. It looks so much neater!" Seriously, could I be any more proud?? I know, I asked myself that question but then he asked me if we could clean his bedroom and give away any toys and/or clothes that he didn't use anymore...and I think my heart burst with joy. Where did this kid come from?
So a few months ago, Q began telling me and his dad how he was going to be in the NHL when he was older. I smiled to myself thinking how wonderful the dreams of young children are. They have the whole world ahead of them and really can dream as big as they want. But then, he started saying he wasn't going to University because he was pretty sure he would already be playing for BCHL and wouldn't have time to do both.
We put him in skating lessons shortly thereafter.
Listen, I don't know if he's going to be in the NHL. He's 8. He could change his mind a million times over between now and the time he has to choose a career. Truthfully, I still don't know what I want to be, and I'm 35. What I do know is that I'm going to do everything I can to try and make sure all his dreams come true.
Granted, he is starting pretty late if he wants to play professional hockey. Most kids start skating as soon as they can walk, it seems and they're playing hockey by the time they're 4 or 5. Q starting at 8 is a little late. Not only that, he has had to start from the very beginning. My heart ached for him, watching those first few skating lessons. Frustration was written all over his face. It was not easy. He fell. A lot. His muscles hurt. A lot. There were kids who were way better than him, and that is really hard for a perfectionist. (Just like me!!) He really wanted to be a 'hockey player' and every time he'd get cocky and do some smooth move, he'd fall or trip or lose his balance.
I went and watched Q at his hockey practice tonight, and I have to say, that kid has come a long way. I am continually amazed by the lessons I learn from my child. We really are capable of so much more than we give ourselves credit for. Practice and perseverance. That's all it takes. If we want something badly enough, practice and persevere. I think of how many times I say, "I can't do that..." I really, really can. You really can. The question is really, "How badly do you want it?"
We've been practicing spelling since grade one. Ugh. I'm not going to lie, it's been painful. I am not even exaggerating when I tell you we've spent a hour and a half every night of the week studying for his spelling tests, just for him to still get half of them wrong. There would be crying. And sometimes, it was Q. There would be yelling. There would be, "Mommy. Are you getting mad yet?" Because we both knew it was coming.
But we persevered. People kept saying, "It will click. It will click." I didn't really believe it. I was super glad that spell check existed and the iPhone literally finishes your words for you. I knew Q would be okay. He wouldn't be an English Professor, but he wouldn't be playing guitar at the subway station either.
We kept practicing. Oh. My. Goodness. You guys!!!!! Something just clicked!! Lately, we've been spending 10 minutes a night on spelling. 10 minutes!! And he gets 100% on the tests. Something just clicked! If he gets one wrong, it's because he had a "brain fart" (his words). See what practice and perseverance can do?!?!?! I'm seriously reconsidering everything in my life. Everything I've said I cannot do. I'm not really giving myself enough credit.
Q...he's an introvert. He's quiet until he gets to know you. He's a perfectionist. He's determined, though and my heart is sooooo happy because he believes he's worth it. He's worth all the practice and all the frustration and all the falling down and all the spelling mistakes. He's worth it. And he knows he's worth it.
Do you know you're worth it? What are you holding back on because you think you can't??? I'm compiling my list right now. Specifically, I'm feeling completely overwhelmed in this new job and wondering if I've made a mistake. Am I capable of even doing this job? I am going to take a lesson from my kid, though, and persevere.
And now I leave you with an awesome picture of my awesome child.
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