The birthday signs welcomed everyone from the street and little boys came racing down the road at exactly five til six. They must have been waiting all day for the celebration to begin. Gifts in hand, three young gentleman respectfully greeted me and raced passed me to find my birthday boy. The trampoline, now worn and ragged still seemed to hold to it’s commitment as six boys tackled one each other in the center of it. The DJ, my husband, made sure their favorite songs were blasting through the airwaves of the backyard, and my friends and I prepared activities and crafts for everyone. 8 pizza boxes sat on the kitchen counter teasing us all with the aroma. Everyone – All smiles!
My son was 11. The days of fire engine trucks and Dollar Tree toys have passed me. I remember the days of Chuck E. Cheese birthdays. I remember when a stop at the neighborhood park would actually be the highlight of the day as long as he could show me how far he could jump from the mid air swing.
I watched my son bounce around and wrestle his friends on the trampoline. the sound of the pounding speakers and the grunts of testosterone filled boys drowned away under the sound of my own private thoughts.
ONLY 7 YEARS LEFT. In just three years I’ll be sending him to high school. IN just five years he’ll request the keys to his father’s car. In just six years we’ll watch him nervously attempt his SAT, and finally in just 7 years His father and I will release him to this world. I watched my son show off his forward flips from the deck railing onto the trampoline, a dangerous silly thing I should have never allowed. I watched his friends hi-five him with their approval of his cool tricks. My thoughts still racing; I realized that at this tender age of 11, life was great for him. He would end his night with a smile after opening his many gifts. He would wake up the next day to roam the neighborhood with a band of friends who all sincerely respect him and accept him for who he is goofiness, hyperness and all. He doesn’t have to worry about a neighborhood bully. He won’t have to walk into a house where he’s hungry at night. He doesn’t have to close his door tightly to shut out the sound of fighting parents. He doesn’t struggle with his grades, and he belongs to a pretty awesome church that’s down to earth with practical teaching. Life is good for him. I closed my eyes and prayed for a pause in his life. Easy days don’t last forever…I know that tough days are ahead. when I opened my eyes, I saw him jumping higher than usual. His smile was bright and without a care in the world. I wanted to capture the moment and keep it tightly sealed within a jar perhaps. Children are only ours for a moment. We are their guides, their leaders, their encouragers,their instructors, and from time to time, their friends, but we are not their EVERYTHING! They build friendships and those friends will know them even more then we do. They discover purpose and life in avenues that we never planned. They look back sparingly to say thank you, and then their off to create life and even their own families. In just seven years, he’ll go off to find his own way. I watched him play as I prayed within, Dear lord, help me to help him enjoy his last seven years in my home. help me to be a good care taker over this precious life. help me to instill love and not bitterness. Help me to teach him forgiveness. Help me to show him compassion so that he will do the same. Let me cherish these last seven years. The sound of the music became clear again and the horseplay on the trampoline had finally reached it’s peak of danger so I called them down. I pulled my son to the side in hopes to give him a hug, but to my surprise, he embraced me first. “This is the best birthday mom. I love you.” he kissed my cheek and with a love so deep and unexplainable, I kissed him in return. ” I love you too Sweetheart. Go have fun.” The police finally gave us the slow drive -by warning around 9pm to remind us that our speakers were too loud. I think that after seeing the little children smiling and dancing inside around cake and ice cream, even he had to decide to just let them be. If we all could, we would go back to the innocent days of our childhood. Man would I do some things differently. Kiss & thank mom more for start! 
See ya next Monday on the FroggyBloggy or visit my website @ http://www.shenettejones.com to find out more about my book release in the fall! Happy Monday!
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