Time refuses to slow down, (as I think every parent can relate to), and my oldest son, Jackson, will turn seventeen this week.
This past year has been somewhat different than the years that preceded it.
Of the things that remain much the same as they were before, Jackson still loves to collect toys, he still is shockingly fast at assembling Legos, he loves going to the movies, dominating claw machines and he’s continued to show his flair for art.
On the latter, Jax has been using YouTube videos to help him sketch out different cartoon characters and then carefully coloring each one in to add to an ever growing collection of his work.
He’s also been spending some time at my Mom’s flower shop and when she asks, he helps to create floral arrangements in the same exact fashion as if she were making them herself.
Most recently, I’ve been picking him up from school once a week to bring him back to RevFit so that he can put in a little bit of work cleaning some of our equipment here but also to get him involved with strength training.
I’m grateful for all of the opportunities we’ve had to work with individuals who have special needs because now that Jackson is training here as well, it helps to see how he interprets the way his body moves when he lifts weights. Some movements are easier to train than others and each week we’re finding ways to move the reps up or move the weight up so that he can keep getting stronger and gain more confidence in what his body is capable of.
A few weeks ago, I was telling him that I could tell he was stronger than when he started and I said: Jax, show me your muscles.
He brought his arms up to flex his biceps, leaned over to kiss his left one and proclaimed: That’s the best kissed muscle ever!
Always the man of few words, Jackson never fails to show his sense of humor.
You might catch him dancing along to Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” (I blame myself for that) or singing along to the radio if Ed Sheeran, fun., or Myles Smith come on because if one thing has been a constant in Jackson’s seventeen years it’s that he has always loved music and as someone is pretty passionate about it himself, it’s a joy to see it (even if he and I don’t share the same enthusiasm for certain artists!)
But as he enters his seventeenth year of life, I still love seeing him be a big brother to Sebastian, I love seeing how much he lights up my mother’s life, and I love knowing that no matter what happens in Jackson’s life, he will always be showered with love and affection.
I’m wishing the happiest of birthdays to my almost adult young man, we love you Jax, Happy Birthday, big boy.
