Today, Akshay turns 10, spanned an entire decade, and to commemorate his special birthday, I wanted to share 10 things about him, the good and the bad. So he is not perfect to the world, he is in ours; in no particular order, here are the 10 things that make him ours:
Excellent Communicator – Akshay has a lot to say and we are never lacking in conversation when he is around. At the dinner table, we often have to stop him so that the others can get in a turn edgewise! He keeps us entertained and makes sure we never have an uncomfortable silent moment.
Sharpest Crayon in the Box – He is. What can I say, my kid knows a lot! I remember when he was in preschool and I was reading him a book about dinosaurs. He kept pointing to different ones and asking me what they were. Me thinking that he is just a typical preschooler need only know that this is a “dinosaur” and that is a “dinosaur” too. He corrects me and says, “No mommy, this is a Tyrannosaurus Rex and that one is a Pterodactyl.” I realized that day that Akshay is smarter than me already.
Fond of Reading – Since he was in Kindergarten, he has been seen with a book in his hand. In first grade, he read over 700 books (well most of them were pretty easy, but towards the end of the year, he was reading chapter books). We even have to take away his reading time as an actual punishment sometimes.
Caring – He looks after his little sister often. Sure, there are times when he beats her up too, but for the most part, he helps her with her homework, plays with her, and passes on his life’s wisdom.
Lazy – He admits it too; he is a bit slothful. Luckily never on schoolwork, he gets that done, even ahead of time at times! But we can often find dirty clothes hidden under his bed or behind a bookshelf because he is too inconvenienced to bring them to the laundry basket.
Focused – It is a beautiful quality, Akshay’s keen focus on doing whatever task he is working on at hand. When he was little, he sounded like the Little Engine: I think I can, I think I can. And he would!
Loves Challenges – It goes back to his focus, but he won’t quit until he figures out whatever it is he is working on. He loves being stumped, defied; it drives him to do better, to discover the answer, to prove others wrong.
Highly Motivated – He has sweet aspirations, so far he wants to be a doctor or a lawyer. But in addition, he talks about how he is also going to write books, sing, and help his future wife on the side. He planned to have 10 kids and do a lot of traveling as well. He may have to purchase a bus as the family car.
Video Game Connoisseur – I suppose there are not many children that don’t love the stuff too and mine can play DS or Wii all day long if we did not stop him. My favorite is when he allows Ashu to play for 5 minutes but then stops her at 2 minutes and asks if she wants him to help her instead, and thus taking back control of the game.
Imaginative – He has a killer imagination and is channeling it to good use with writing. He has always been a good reader, but now he wants to get into writing. He comes up with stories and ideas that I can’t imagine from where he gets these ideas, though I admit, the thoughts of a 10-year-old baffle me in general. But his imagination started at an early age: When I was taking him as a 15-month old to daycare, it started to rain and he asked me why the car was crying as the drops fell onto our windshield.
Happy Birthday, Akshay, and here is wishing you many more decades to come!