My son Sam will be five-years-old on Saturday, and along with that reality hitting me upside the head like a sack full of nickels ... OMG! It's all going too fast! He's only minutes away from driving and shaving! ... the constant and utter amazement at the person he is becoming and fall-on-my-knees gratitude for his good health and our great fortune comes the realization that he rapidly approaches the age of contemplation of the big picture and the questions that come with.

Being prepared giving multiple options for handling (Forewarned is forearmed -- FOURarmed? -- so to speak.), we've given a great deal of thought as to how issues will be dealt with. Presentation is a biggie, so we are letting him set the pace and trying very hard not to jump the gun or assume that we know what's happening in his head.

I have had occasion to practice some restraint lately.

Our dog is pregnant, so there's been some discussion about babies in tummies ... how they get in, how they get out ... and I'm so hoping she delivers at a time that will allow Sam to observe at least part of the process. So far, the conversation has yet to jump species, and I'm letting him lead the biology lesson.

Yesterday, a conversation looked as though it might head toward adoption-related discussion, though.

Sam draws. He draws a lot. He draws every day, and sometimes for hours at a time. He is almost never without paper and pencil and the house is crammed with his artwork. He draws mainly for himself, and although he is perfectly happy to explain his art to anyone asking, he is usually content to simply add new work to growing stacks without requiring adult critique or attention.

He had done a special drawing yesterday, a complicated series of many images, that he wanted to explain to me.

"Here's you, and here's Dad, and here's me, and here's Cj."

"That's a lovely job of drawing our lovely family, Sam."

"Of course it is." (He's very big on "of course" these days ... )

"See how Cj and I don't look like you and Dad?"

(For new readers, Sam and Cj are both Cambodian-born.)

"I see that. Interesting. Why do you think that is?"

"I don't know," he said, looking seriously at the drawing.

"You and Cj do look quite a bit like Granddad, though, don't you?" I suggested.

"I guess so," Sam said, almost grudgingly, as I started blathering on about how Mark's father has the same skin, hair and eye color.

"But," Sam interjected, "actually (He's big on "actually", too), Superman has hair just like mine!"

He does indeed.


Photo ©2005 PGMonins with permission