I Want To Be My Kid When I Grow Up

Twenty year old single male, living the dream, in resplendent Colorado, handsome, intelligent, geeky in a good way, well mannered, great career, kind, with integrity and great moral character seeks same in a female partner. Candidate must love, snowboarding because my second home is a slope with snow on it, music because I am amassing a collection of guitars and create my own music , and must love good food, because I am a foodie and love foods from all over the world. Please send inquiries to……

This is the way I would write a dating app introduction to my son. He is an amazing kid, rather, man. He at twenty has done ten times what others his age are doing these days.

In a world where the current generation is all self absorbed and wanting the quick buck for literally, existing, he is a man among boys. No one his age, other than his best friend, are his equal. I wish every parent, a child like him. And I do not say it because he is my son, and that what mothers say. No, I don’t compliment if it is not warranted, and I don’t lie to make people feel good, or to spare them honesty that they might not like to hear. It is not what I believe in. Lies are lies. That is all.

I say this because, my son impresses me every single day, and I need to talk about it. It’s like a covered pot boiling over, this pride.

He was always a good, kid growing up. Didn’t get into too much trouble and he was a pleasure to raise. He’s always been easy going. Even as a baby, he never cried much or fuss. Yes, we anticipated his needs well and he didn’t have much that he missed, but it was more than that. I see it now. He had a maturity, even as a young child that you don’t see in most kids. He was an adult by age five I think. lol.

When he was about a year and a half, I remember him watching his dad and uncle, remodeling a front, three season porch, into a foyer, through the french door. That was not impressive, granted. What happened within a few minutes after was.

Elijah didn’t speak yet. In fact he didn’t speak until he was three years old. That was a frightening thing to go through. We thought all kinds of things, at first, and had him tested, looked at by doctors, and even began learning sign language and teaching him so we could communicate without words. But that is not the part that, impressed me this day.

No, I was on the kitchen making dinner, and I had the baby quartered off in the living room, which gave him a nice place to observe his dad and his father’s brother. He parked himself in front of the door, and was entertained for hours. I could normally hear him milling about, but suddenly, I realized he had been quiet for quite some time. I was buried in cooking for all of us when, I noticed it. I wasn’t worried, mind you, because every stinking thing in the house was baby proof, but I wanted to see what had him so enthralled, that he made no sound.

I climbed over the gate and went to look for him, and my mouth hit the floor as it fell open. Here was a one and half year old sitting in front of an electrical outlet, screwdriver in hand, and he had removed the plate off of the plug in outlet. Oh my lord, did I lunge for him and scoop him up, in a panic.

You are asking me why he would have a screwdriver in his had to begin with, right now aren’t you? Well, Elijah would love to watch daddy, whenever he would do projects around the house, so he often walked around with dad’s tools. He loved to pretend. So, much so, that he had a little kiddie tool workshop and a kiddie kitchen set, which we bought him to mimic us, the way he liked.

So when the men began this day, my husband saw him watching them and let him have the one, he had grabbed to imitate what they were doing. It was innocent enough and harmless, but we found out not so with this kid.

I walked into the room and there he sat. He beamed a huge smile at me and looked so proud of himself, as I called out to his dad, to get inside a moment.

Dad walked in and I ask him what he was thinking leaving the baby with the tool, but we both believed that there was not danger. As I told him what I come into the room to find, my husband looked at the receptacle and then noticed, each and every outlet had had its cover removed. Busy baby. Amazingly, you all know what I am about to say, because we were dumbfounded that he did not electrocute himself.

Fast forward, age three. He still did not speak. After much testing, we knew he could. in fact hear, he had no issues cognitively, and he was emotionally sound. He just had nothing to say yet, I guess.

Then one day, he’s standing at the front door looking out the side window, as he waited for the mail, and he says, “mailman”. Another, open mouth moment for mom and dad. Mailman. Of all the words in the language, that two syllable word, not a simple easy, dada, mama, or even ball. Mailman.

I held my hands up and told my husband that there was no doubt he was Elijah’s dad, and we had a laugh at the cliche. This little one was always surprising us.

This was the way it was with our son his whole life. He kept us on our toes. But he was a joy and the most amazing miracle to ever happen to me, us.

As he matured into an adult, he always had his mind on what he wanted his future to be. He went from one career like to others, and even contemplated a naval career, because he was interested in being a seal. He was after all, part seal, since he lived in the water, as a swimmer since he was four. Maybe even before that.

Elijah came to us one day and said he wanted to work and get a job to get things he wanted, and again we were impressed by his drive. We suggested that we could get him whatever he needed or wanted, that he didn’t need to work, while he was still in school and being a full time competitive swimmer, alone with his piano lessons and every other thing he was into those days. But Elijah knew what he wanted. He told us he wanted to be able to get things on his own. He wanted to buy his own car, with his own money. He was 15.

We held him off for a while, but at 16 he suggested working again, and we gave him the okay, as long as his grades stayed up, and it didn’t interrupt with his swim practices or meets.

His first job as a busboy in a local restaurant, did not work out for long. It just was not him. Then he got a job at the YMCA a quarter mile from the house. He was hired as a lifeguard, which was what he was intimately qualified for. He learned basic life support and a bug was planted.

A few months into that job, he was offered a position as lifeguard for Genesis Health Club and he took it. A month into that job, he had impressed the management with his consistency and work ethic. He had also fixed a few things that had broken at the club, without being asked, well maybe more than a few. He fixed electrical issues, computer issues, and HVAC issues. This was insane. We had no idea where he learned that stuff. But he said he just knew and understood how to fix things.

He was offered then, a maintenance position, and took it. He was proud of his raise and new job. He was proud of himself. Apparently, the gym was impresses too, because within a month they made him a maintenance manager over three heal club locations. He was 17, and a manager of maintenance at a nation wide chain of health clubs, and working for the Stevens family of companies. The Stevens’ respected him and wanted to have him travel to other locations all over the country as well, but he kept having to remind them that he was only 17, and could not even rent a car or hotel room. Amazing.

Moving forward, a year, and Elijah had nailed down his love for mechanical and technical work. But he also had a love for human safety, and made the choice to become a lineman. You, know, those men you see, that work the power poles and huge electrical towers? That. Those men are first responders and vital to life in a modern world. They often are sent to disaster areas after catastrophic damage from storms, to rebuild the infrastructure and keep life normal. We sent him to the best lineman school in the country, after he researched and did all the legwork to present us with what he wanted. SLTC accepted him, and he never looked back. The month before he was to graduate, a Colorado, firm came and recruited him. They wanted him immediately, but he told them, he needed to graduate first. THAT is my kid.

The electrical company then gave him a date right after graduation. and he told them he would need a few weeks to come back home from Georgia, to Kansas, pack up his life and secure a place to live in Colorado. He asked for a month’s time and they took it. He literally came home from school in December, spent Christmas home and was off two weeks later. He was 19. Nineteen.

At nineteen, he had his own apartment, his own car, and a career in the most beautiful state in the country. My heartbreak was overshadowed by my pride in him.

But that is not why I am so proud that I want to be his kind of grownup when I grow up.

He’s been in Colorado for one year in January. In that year, he has shown me day after day that he has an amazing head on his shoulders. He has shown us that we didn’t screw him up as parents. Every parent thinks they do, but we don’t. They get more than we know.

He learned to manage his own home, be on time with his responsibilities, keep honor and integrity a top priority and save money. He cooks for himself, after all I taught him, and he creates his own versions of what I make. Impressive.

In early December of last year, he was furloughed from work. Another employee, made a serious mistake and the company list its contract with the party that they did a majority of their work for. What would happen now? I began to worry. A lot.

Elijah decided to sign union books and get a union only job, so he had to now wait for something to open up. December. Not a good time to be looking for work. Most companies stop hiring at that time, because of the holiday season, and don’t pick that back up until January.

So he came home for the holidays for two weeks. I was so worried he would lose everything, but I don’t know why. He had himself and his life under control.

He kept assuring. He said he had saved money and was fine for a few months, without work, if it should take that long. He applied for unemployment, which he is still waiting on, and sat back applying for every lineman job that was posted.

Union work is by seniority in the union, so he knew he would have to wait until he found one that he could beat out other union members to. He has been off work for over two months now, and is still living his dream. He snowboards every weekend, lives his life at peace and in security, and does it all on his own.

Mom and dad have offered to help with anything he needs, and he just says he has it covered, and that if he needs anything and when, he will ask for our help. Amazing.

He was offered a job last week. A company called him, had read his resume, and hired him on the spot, without even an interview. They did it all off of a conversation with him on once phone call. THAT, is what it means to have a work ethic, honor, integrity and respect. When people you don’t know have it for you just on a little they see, then you can be assured, quality.

At his age, I was partying, losing money left and right, and I had not saved a cent. If I had it I spent it. I didn’t take anything seriously and sure didn’t plan my future out like my son, has. I had no security, no career, nothing. I was a leaf being blown by the wind.

My son is a bolder, not easily moved, solid. He is a man. A real one. I just hope, when I grow up, I can be like him.

#stories