And now, you’re five

“What do you want to be when you grow up, Will?”

“I know! An inventioneer.”

You’re still so brand new, only five years on the planet as the boy named William. You have light hair–not brown, not blond–and bluish green eyes. Your cheeks are round and you’ve a spattering of freckles across your nose. You are happy, and sometimes sad. You get overwhelmed, and sometimes cross. Your joy lights the world in a way only little boy joy can. Has there ever been such a perfect, magical little boy? Well, yes. I’ve had two of them, myself. But you are uniquely you, perfect and magical in a way only you can be.

And now, you’re five. Five. No longer a baby, or a toddler. You’re off into a world you have no clue about beyond the safe, nurturing, loving and limited boundaries of home. Mommy and Daddy. Gioiabean. You’re going to spread your magic, and make the world better. Teachers, new friends, lunch ladies and crossing guards and bus drivers will see your smile, feel your magic, and be changed. You’ll learn. The things you will learn! How numbers work together. How letters become words become stories you’ll be able to read and write all on your own. You’ll learn about the life cycle of butterflies, and how a seed becomes a flower, a carrot, a tree. You’ll begin learning how to navigate in the world so much bigger than you ever imagined in your baby brain.

And you’ll learn things aren’t fair, that might is sometimes right even when it’s not. You’ll learn that, just like you’re an individual who has not-blonde-not-brown hair who sometimes gets overwhelmed and cross, there are others just like you, and others very different. You’ll learn that some kids are kind and some are mean; some are happy and fun while others always want to be the boss. You’ll learn about fire drills and stranger danger and come to understand that, sometimes, our beautiful world is a dangerous place. You’ll learn that though you’re always a part of your family, you are, in fact, apart.

Now you’re five, Sweet William. Babyhood is behind you; you knock on childhood’s door and it swings wide in welcome. There will be smiles and there will be tears, frustrations and triumphs, so many lessons to learn. My not-blond-not-brown-haired, bluish green eyed boy, joy of my heart, magical child who is as willful as he is willing, my curious, loving, unique little grandson, I can’t wait to see all the things you will do, all the places you will go, how the world will be changed by you, and change you.

Happy birthday.