My Top Three 

I hung out with by big son the other night. That’s what I call him. What I mean is he’s my eldest son. The younger one is the big one as I cannot figure out how to make him stop sprouting up like a beanstalk. I don’t usually get any time with my oldest son. He’s 22. He works almost 7 days a week and when he’s not working he’s busy. At least too busy for mom. But he came over the other night and he and I swung by a friend’s house for a few minutes and then we decided to go eat. I took him to my favorite little dive bar for some Jamerican food. I guess we probably didn’t coin that term but that’s what we dubbed the cuisine we had. I had a summer roll with Jamaican cabbage, beans, tomatoes, onions and some other veggies with this coconut sauce. He had a Jamaican jerk chicken plate. And we sat and just talked and hung out. After we left, I started to teach him how to drive a stick until he was ready to call it a night and then he drove to the house and got his car and went home. It seems like yesterday he was just a little long haired baby on a skateboard. And now he’s all grown up with a job and a beard talking about how hot and fuckable my best friends are who saw his little ass in diapers. Time really does fly and kids really do grow up. As the new year approaches, I’m less concerned with resolutions though I do have them, but I’m more thankful for the way my kids have grown up. I’m sure I mention more than you all like to read how awesome they are but it’s true. I don’t think I know one parent who has three kids and has never really had any issues. None of my kids have ever been in trouble. I’ve never had an adolescent screaming “I hate you” in my face. None of them have drug problems.  Nobody has ended up knocked up. And they all still say “I love you” before hanging up the phone with me. And we all talk regularly. I don’t know if a person could get any luckier than that. I guess my point is that it’s really nice having wonderful kids. I always make jokes about the countdown for my youngest son’s 18th birthday aka the day my freedom train rolls in, and people always say that I won’t feel like that when it finally happens and maybe they are right, but all that empty nest talk seems moot to me because even though my kids have their own lives, they are still my kids. They still keep me in the loop. And it’s not exactly more like a friendship but I definitely do way less parenting now than ever before and I think it’s because I raised well adjusted, self sufficient, decent human beings. And yes, I am taking 90% of the credit. The other 10% can be split amongst the rest of world. Anyway, I was just feeling a bit nostalgic and thankful and amazed all at the same time. So I may not have a list of resolutions today (maybe tomorrow) but I do have a list of things I’m thankful for and I gave birth to my top 3.