Where Did He Go?

I turned around and there he was – a head taller than I remember.

ciaran in k line mar 2014Ciárán is at an awkward stage in so many ways. At 6 years old he is still very much a young kid. The other day he had a stuffed bear that attacked people with fluffiness to make them good. On the other hand he talks zombies with his 10 year old brother.

He is mischievous, but not malicious. He hates getting in trouble but loves to see how far he can push the envelope.

At times I think I am not paying enough attention to him. Déla is the girl of the family. August is the older of the younger kids. Kyle is 11 years older than him. Then Xavier is the youngest. I worry that Xavier will get lost in the shuffle when the new baby arrives and he won’t be the youngest anymore.

I hate that I don’t have enough time to devote to each of them as I would like. I relish watching them all grow up. Having this surprise of Ciárán suddenly being not just taller, but changed. Kindergarten has been a real transformative year for him.

How will he react to the new baby? How will he transition into first grade? How will his relationship with his siblings evolve as they get older?

So many questions that I can’t wait to have the answers to, but I just hate the surprise of turning around and having them sort of blind side me. Slow down Ciárán, you still have a ways to go.