Rite of Passage...?

Saturday was Charlie's birthday.

I cannot believe that he is 5 years old, do I sound like a broken record?  I know I say that about every milestone, I just cannot believe how quickly time passes.

My Charlie Bear is one special little cookie.

Maybe it's being the third of four that helps make him so special. 

Because, really, the third of four kids are always pretty awesome (can you tell that's me?  His namesake - Grandpa Charlie- is also the third of four).

My Charlie's kind, generous, sensitive, and curious.  He's the kind of kid who gets so caught up in what he's doing that he doesn't notice the world around him.  He has that kind of focus and curiosity.  And I know that it will take him far in life.

I'll be honest, it was tricky to parent when parenting two older siblings and either pregnant or with a newborn/toddler- I don't know how many times at the park he'd run in a crow's shadow without regard for where he was running (straight into a parking lot). 

He was the one that slipped under the radar every now and then because of his birth order and my distractions...

One example: Father's Day when he was almost two we were grilling in our back yard and some man came walking down our driveway carrying him.  I was about to burst, pregnant with Elsa, and hadn't realized he'd slipped around the house and went to check out what was at the end of our driveway.  (It's a road that is a direct turn off of a highway!)  It took me a good hour to stop shaking and rattle all of the what-ifs out of my head.  I don't know what was more scary for me, that he ventured so close to such a busy road or that he was perfectly content in a stranger's arms.

But now that I don't have to keep SUCH a sharp eye on the kids, I get to enjoy my Charlie for who he is.

A sweet boy who loves everything about the world around him.

He happily slips outside in the morning and catches a swarm of grasshoppers or lady bugs.  He pounces on every worm unearthed when I weed.  He loves dinosaurs.  He loves animals.  And he loves his family with his whole generous heart.

We celebrated his birthday at the lake with the easiest birthday party I've ever hosted.  It was a perfect party for him.

Afterwards we attended an end of the summer bbq filled with kids, two water slides and a trampoline.

There was quite a crowd of boys playing on the trampoline, doing their little fighting matches that boys always seem to end up playing. 

Charlie was the youngest in there and for some reason (human nature, I know- and I don't harbor any ill will toward them) the boys decided they'd all focus their roughhousing on Charlie and it got a little out of hand.  He was pushed down one too many times and his arm was bent back a little too far and Charlie snapped.  My freshly 5 year old boy stood up and started punching a little boy (two years older and a good 10-15lbs heavier) until he gave the boy a bloody nose.

I saw him stand up and unleash his fury, and it was focused.

I was mortified that my baby did that to another kid, I really, really don't like violence.

But I was also a little proud that he was that good, that efficient, at standing up for himself.

I don't think that he'll get pushed around too much in life.  He'll be able to hold his own.  And I don't think he'll be a person who holds grudges.  He'll get it out of his system and move on.

It's a relief to know that Elsa will be well protected by her big brothers.

And it's a relief that Charlie is a person who can stand up for himself.  That attribute with his love for life and curiosity about the world around him will serve him well.  There's no holding my sweet little boxer back.

It was a big day, filled with friends and family, swimming, fish catching, cupcakes, birthday presents, sunshine and his first fist fight.

A rite of passage, quite a bit earlier than I'd like, but one he now has under his belt.

Don't mess with Charlie Bear.