Growing, and Growing...

I can't believe one week from today my little boy will be 5 years old. It just doesn't seem possible, and I can hardly remember the moments between his birth and now, it's just flown by. His understanding of the world around him is sometimes astonishing. He excels in academics and especially loves numbers and reading (he's yet to learn, but loves being read to). He role-plays with his cars and action figures, and is quite the little engineer with his Legos. He seems to make friends fast, seems to be a little social butterfly, much unlike myself at that age. I'm so overwhelmed with pride in my little man, and breathless at the love that grows and grows with him. I can only hope I'm teaching him the right things and giving him all that he needs in these crucial times. I know every parent (I assume) wants her child to grow up compassionate, self-sufficient, generous...a number of things. But I'm totally there, being very careful to nurture the values I so want him to have. Behavior has been an issue with his father-figure absent. But we're working through it, and he's had a lot of changes recently. I know he'll come out alright, once things are stable and he knows what to expect. And I have to continue to change as he grows and becomes more and more his own autonomous being. So used to doing things for him, I often forget he is very capable and needs to know that, and practice it. He is wanting to learn to tie his shoes, and I'm happy yet not ready for that! Guess we both still have a lot to learn here. I'm loving this growing relationship, and just pray I'm not doing anything that will mess with him as an adult. It all seems very delicate. Ah, I could go on for days.