Aidan's 8!

This morning I woke up dreaming about a conversation I hope to have about 15 or so years from now with the future love of Aidan's life. I remember that in the conversation I was explaining the kind of child he was, his literal explanation of the world around him, his love of fact and compassion for animals. I gave examples of how he would search for puns to tickle our fancy, or the time he nearly cried when he thought that an innocent slug laid victim to a baked potato. Wanting to be realistic and objective, I also divvied out helpful advice for some of his pitfalls, mainly how he becomes so absorbed in his own fact-filled, inanimate world that he often forgets that there is an entire biotic world surrounding him. I see through admiring eyes how strong and determined a man he has become. I, in my chic ensemble looking not a day over 32, kinked my neck when I threw my head back and laughed at said love of his life’s sharing of Aidan’s quirks and dear qualities. I quickly recovered, remembering how Aidan scolded me for talking too loud in front of his friends when he was just 8.

8!
He is just 8!
I imagined him as a grown man and realized how quickly these past 8 years have flown by.

Wondering through my thoughts I landed on a timeline, of sorts.

10 years from now he will be a legal adult, graduate from high school and set off on his own for the first time. He plans to travel the world and I worry already about whether he will pack enough underwear and if he will eat enough. My heart sobs at the thought of not having him put his arm around me as we walk together and my skin crawls at the thought of the specimens growing in his dorm room.

8 years from now he will be driving. I can feel the gray hairs pushing through my scalp at the weight of that responsibility. He says when he develops his time transporter he is going to go forward 8 years and bring his drivers license back with him.

7 years from now he will enter high school. There will be first dances, clubs, possibly a broken heart. He already talks about the chemistry and biology classes that lay ahead. I can only hope he pops in my room once in a while and (dare I hope) wants to have lunch with me once in a while.

4 years from now he will enter middle school. There will be hormones and crushes and activities and clubs and friends and cell phone and homework, oh my. I believe there is a countdown somewhere in his room regarding the cell phone clause. My head is spinning as I imagine this awkward, pimply, sweaty, brace-face stage.

And tomorrow. . .

He will have loved ones and classmates here to celebrate his last eight years.
I will be trying desperately to hang on to all 525,600 minutes of Aidan being 8.