Life's Always A Choice

Our son turned seven on Friday.  It has been a long journey filled with stress, heartache and joy.

At the end of the first semester of first grade, things aren't looking as rosy as we had hoped.  His occupational therapist has asked us to "take a break" from therapy for awhile because he is failing to meet his therapy goals.  She thinks he's frustrated with the process and needs a break from it.  His teacher has requested a meeting with ourselves and the therapy team at school because he isn't meeting his goals there either.  We are dealing with a very frustrated young man these days.  As a result, he's not always a barrel of laughs to live with.  In light of that, and in celebration of his birthday, I'm choosing to focus on the fun.  The following are just a handful of reasons that life is better, more fun, and definitely more interesting with our little monster in it.

• His brother says his favorite thing about his little brother is that he can make friends with anyone, anywhere, at any time.  For example, when we went to a Crosscutters baseball game this summer, our son adopted the bus driver for the opposing team.  He was a very large, somewhat imposing figure of a man.  Our son "arrested" him; put his hands behind his back; and put him in jail with all the other "bad guys" he had arrested.  Bless his heart!  The poor guy played along.
• His father says our son has the funniest little antics or methods of dealing with the challenges that life has thrown at him.  His poor motor skills interfere with him doing simple tasks like opening a yogurt tube.  His hands are too big and clumsy.  Instead, he has learned that he can grab the corner with his teeth and tear the top open.  Success!
• Our son is a first class little Romeo.  He blatantly flirts with girls/women much older than him... and they fall for it!  One afternoon when we went to a local shoe store, he ended up following this cute little blond around the store making eyes at her and declaring "She's stalking me!"  At the checkout, we ran into them again and she laughed and laughed.  She thought he was adorable. 
• One of my favorite things is coming into the living room and finding the boys curled up on the couch together reading a story or watching a show on TV.  Our youngest absolutely loves and adores his big brother. 
• Our little man always wants everyone included in everything he does.  If he gets a snack from his grandmother, he has to be sure to get one for his brother.  When he gets a sticker from the doctor, he always wants one for his brother and his Dad. 
• He is the defender of the underdog.  If someone is in trouble, he has to come to their defense, even if they are blatantly in the wrong.  When I told his father that he was too sick to go to work because he needed to stay home and rest, our son strongly defended him.  "Let him go to work!"  At times, our oldest will tell his brother "No buddy.  Mom and Dad are right to tell me that.  I was wrong."  (Thank God we have a wonderful older son who is so responsible!)
• While completing homework, especially reading his reading book together, he often falls asleep.  If he falls asleep and we can't wake him back up, we go ahead and put him in bed for the night.  He will groggily ask "Can I brush my teeth twice tomorrow?"  Yes little man, you brush your teeth twice everyday. 
• This year on Groundhogs Day, he told his grandparents that if the "beaver" saw his shadow it would be an early "summer".  He has been very offended that it keeps snowing and now he thinks the "beaver" is a liar. 

Life is a series of choices.  You can choose to focus on your problems.  That brings nothing but misery and frustration.  Instead, you can choose to laugh at life and its moments of insanity.  What could be funnier than the life we are all leading with its pitfalls, twists and turns?  I say thank God for your blessings and choose to laugh!