Today I am celebrating my son Seth. He was not always an easy child to raise, but he has always been a good and loving son. I used to tell people he could hear the sun hit the window in the morning, because he was up every day at the crack of dawn, even if he didn’t go to bed until two in the morning.
By the time he was a year old, he was walking and into everything, just like every other baby. But he was also inquisitive, taking things apart to see what made them work. He asked for an alarm clock and an aquarium for his fourth birthday. He took that alarm clock apart and put it back together just to see if he could. Then he took a picture of two boys on a raft off the wall and put in the aquarium, because rafts belong in the water, Mom.
He could read at two years old. I found that out because we were watching a game show together called “Concentration”, where contestants had to pick two squares to turn around and match a prize that was on the back of them, in order to solve a puzzle and win all the prizes they had collected in the process. When both of the chosen squares turned around, they said “Cat Food” on them. Before the announcers on TV said anything, Seth said “CAT FOOD! Why would anyone want to win Cat Food?”
My son grew up doing all the things most boys his age do, like playing baseball and football, and going hunting and fishing. He quit going hunting, though, after he actually shot a deer, because he didn’t like the way it made him feel to kill an animal.
This boy child of mine never did well in school. I really think he would have been labeled as ADHD if he had been tested back then. He was found to have a genius IQ but did not apply himself at all. And it was not for lack of me trying. By the time he got to high school, I was just exhausted from trying do all the things that teachers and school counselors suggested for all those years. He quit school when he was 16, and went to work at a grocery store. He went through a string of jobs until 1994. No, this boy was not easy to parent.
Seth joined the air force in 1994 and went to boot camp at Lackland AFB in San Antonio, Texas. He went to tech school in Witchita Falls, and then had his first duty station back at Lackland. He spent about three years total in Texas, where he was on the volunteer color guard, and attended many funerals for retired service personnel. He was on the tarmack with President Clinton landed at Lackland.
Seth and his wife have four children. Michael, the oldest of my grandchildren, was born in San Antonio. Sarah was born in Guam, and Owen and Amelia were born in Maryland where they live now. They will probably stay in Maryland until September 2014, when Seth will retire from the Air Force.
Seth has been in the Air Force for nearly 18 years now, and has traveled all over the world. He spent time in Texas, Guam, England, and Andrews AFB. I love him so much, and am very proud to be his mother.
Gaelyn says
You should be proud. Having a son like Seth says a lot about you too.
Samuel Savard says
When I started to read the story, I thought, for some reason, that something had happened to him and he wasn’t with us anymore. I was so glad to know that he’s still alive and well, and has given you some grandchildren!
Janet says
First of all, thank him for his service. We are free because of veterans. I am married to a Vietnam vet for 39 years now. We are finally fulltime rvers and we love it. We have stopped at Bay RV Park between Galveston and Kemah. If you come to Texas, stop by and stay with us. Look for us at http://www.bayrvpark.com.
jamie braun says
you should be a very proud mommy! hes turned out to be a great man