Our son turned 13 today on the 28th day of confinement against Covid-19 or also known as Coronavirus.
Officially he's now a teenager. But the celebration that we had didn't change, covid or no-covid, his birthday was celebrated in the simplest way possible. Just like any birthdays of our other two kids.
You might not agree with us but my husband and I decided on this long before we had the three of them (not by choice at first though). They only get a gift on Christmas. None on their birthday.
Why none? Because we want to teach them to see blessings in the (most) simplest form and to find happiness in it and be grateful for it. Be grateful for everything, even the smallest and simplest blessings that life offers them. We taught them that in this world, we need to learn "empathy" for us to remain human. No one is born with equal rights as the next person. How can they empathize with someone else if they never experienced being deprived of something else.
None of our kids looked down upon someone else. None of them brag about anything that they have. They know how to be contented in what they have, they never covet something that they don't have and that they appreciate the smallest and the simplest form of blessings that they get. And we are proud that they grew up well.
And our son is the rarest of the rarest. Why the rarest of the rarest? Because he is a living proof that someone his age can teach someone like me, his mom, humility. Just a simple anecdote of our son.
Our soon-to-be 19 year old daughter have a boyfriend, we'll just hide him in the name of Thomas. Haha! He's name is Thomas, he's 20 year old. He is working during weekends while studying during weekdays. Thomas has a car, a Clio Renault. Which is, by the way I look at it, is really old. And if you know me as a mom, you will also know that I only want the best for any of my kids and specially because she's our eldest, for my husband and I, in our eyes, no one is worth of her love.
So I sometimes, jokingly (with intent), criticize her choice of boyfriend. Sometimes to annoy her, I will team up with our youngest to say something "bad" about her boyfriend. One day, I was looking out the window in kitchen when I saw Thomas' car. My son is with me at that time. And voila! Bad thoughts came into my mind at that moment. I bursted out, "Vance, look at his car, it's old!" Thinking that my son will side with me, I was grinning foolishly but then he burst my bubble by saying these, "Mom, and so? Have you ever taught if he bought it with his own money? What's the problem if it is old? He got it because of his own effort. Have you forgotten that the worth of the person is not measured on any of the things he have?" BAM! He pulled me back to the ground. You know what made me cry on that day? It was the way he said it to me. Not screaming. Not angry. Just with a voice filled with love teaching his mom how to be a good person.
This is not the first time he taught me something about life. It's not also the first one. There are many anecdotes of his young life that taught me about humility, kindness, friendship, generosity, love and many more.
As always, I will never get tired of saying this, "I must have done something good in my past to deserve a son like him." God blessed me so well when I had him. Our family will be forever grateful. I will be forever grateful.
Happy birthday Bixy-Lou. I wish that God grants all your heart's desires. I know He's preparing you for a greater purpose. Je t'aime mon amour.
Officially a teenager, still a baby in my eyes yet already a man of God in his heart.
