Gotcha!
Of course I’m not going to write 20 million reasons down for you to pore over – I COULD, but I won’t. Here’s the fact though: little boys are deadly. Not deadly as in dangerous, but deadly as in amazing.
(Although sometimes the other one too, after they’ve had one too many helpings from the cookie jar).
Here are some of the highlights of being mum to my 5-and-a-half year old Jacob so far:
1. He’s my best boyfriend
Yup, we’re a bit obsessed with each other. I don’t know if it’s because he’s the first born or because it’s the Mammy/Son connection but we’re very much joined at the hip. Sometimes it’s cute and sometimes it runs into ‘Everywhere you go, I’ll find you, Mammy’, which can be a borderline creepy to say the least.
2. He’s a comedian
Both our kids have great little senses of humour, but I can tell that Jacob is carefully considering his jokes and his funnies before he shares them with us. He loves seeing that he makes us laugh so even when his jokes are totally sh*t, we still roll around laughing for our stand-up comic in the making.
3. He’s got kindness in abundance
I badly injured my back a few weeks ago and was full sure that I wouldn’t get through the following 24 hours with it and having to mind two smallies. But this little man of mine was genuinely concerned about me and really helped me out with his little sister and even gave me a few rubs to make me feel better.
4. He remembers everything
I’m completely amazed by his capacity to remember even the tiniest of details. We moved house a couple of times when he was younger and he still remembers details about one of the houses we rented. (He also hasn’t forgotten that Santa brought him the wrong present two Christmas’s ago so that’s great craic too).
5. He has career goals already
‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ I’ll ask him. ‘Engineer’, he’ll reply, ‘Like daddy’. ‘Oh that’s nice – you want to be an engineer when you grow up?’ And then he’ll stare at me, like I’m an idiot and respond; ‘No mammy – I AM an engineer’. Sorrr-eeee.
6. He is the love of his grandad’s life
There was a moment between my dad and Jacob when he was only about four months’ old. My dad was holding him and Jacob put his tiny hands on either side of my dad’s face, they looked into each other’s eyes and they both smiled. When I say they have been inseparable ever since, I promise you I’m not exaggerating.
7. He’s the best big brother
The kids have their moments where they are fighting with each other non-stop, they all do, but for the most part, Jacob is really good to his little sister. He speaks to her in this high-pitched gentle voice that is just reserved for her. I haven’t figured out if he’s trying to patronise her or is genuinely trying to be gentle so I’ll live in hope for the latter. He’s totally crazy about her though, that’s for sure.
8. He’s a sensitive little soul
His little sister is a bad ass who I think will plough her way through life and anyone who stands in her path. Jacob is a little bit more delicate; he still clings to us when he’s unsure of a new surrounding or a next step. With that comes a great inquisitive nature about the world around him, nature and humanity and that, I think, is just lovely.
Don’t worry, I didn’t forget to write down millions of things I love about my daughter too – you can read all about her here!
